We’ve finally been able to get the Black Ops 2 vs. Halo 4 sales figures for the first week on Xbox 360, and this is completely fair considering this is only for the Microsoft console and doesn’t include the PS3 as well. Just over a week ago we reported the first 24 hours of sales for both Halo 4 and Black Ops 2, but these didn’t look at one platform, so the total units sold that are shown in the figures below are for the most popular on Xbox 360. It is worth noting that some gamers claim you can’t compare these sales thanks to the games going after different markets and types of gamers, although the bottom-line is people want to know what game sold more in week one on the 360.

We already started to see signs of lower Black Ops 2 sales in the UK a few days ago, and now the figures are in thanks to this source it shows global unit sales are down as well. Black Ops 2 moved 11m units on all platforms, 6.21m on just the Xbox 360, which is 2 million less than the 13.36m Modern Warfare 3 did in the same period last year.

If we compare this to the Halo 4 sales for Xbox 360, they’re widely reported to be 3.8m for the first week, which is a considerable amount less than Black Ops 2 on the Xbox 360. Both of these first week figures are impressive by any means, but did you expect the Black Ops 2 vs. Halo 4 sales to turn out this way when looking at just the Xbox 360?

Why do you think the first week of Black Ops 2 sales are down when compared to MW3? It is very interesting to see the sales slip between the two Call of Duty games, although we can’t wait to see if this will be the case overall or if just the first week is affected.

Today is the big Halo 4 launch day that Xbox 360 gamers have been waiting for, and one that PC gamers hoped would reveal the next incarnation appearing on their platform, which of course never happened. We published details about Halo 4 midnight launch parties yesterday, but now the release date has arrived it has done so with a number of reviews that reveal scores most fans expected.

You don’t need to look far for photos and video of the Halo 4 midnight launch, which reveals lines from around the world and unboxing’s from every corner of the globe. We’ve included a few midnight launch videos below this article, although feel free to hit the comments with your experience if you attended any of these launch parties. The videos we tracked down include the Halo 4 launch at London’s South Bank, a few from the US, an unboxing, and also a live stream of Halo 4 taken on the launch night that runs for over 3 hours.

Halo 4 review scores – there are a number of reviews delivering maximum marks for Halo 4, which is based on just how good different factors of the game are and also partly because of the love some gamers have for this franchise. If you want to read some very positive Halo 4 reviews, then you can see maximum scores given by Gaming Age, NZ Gamer, and Game Revolution in their reviews. These articles give you some good insight into Halo 4 and each review looks at gameplay, graphics, sound, and how much value the reviewer finds in the game.

IGN delivered a less then perfect review for Halo 4, and while they quickly point out that Master Chief has a lot to live up to in the new game, they also point out that Forward Unto Dawn is both familiar and unfamiliar. The reviewer found Halo 4 to have balanced multiplayer, great pace, unbeatable sound, and great presentation, but also point out that it is not perfect. See their full Halo 4 review here.

One of the most negative Halo 4 reviews we’ve found comes to us thanks to EGM, and they scored the game 7/10. The reviewer explained points were lost thanks to the “representation” being the same that gamers have known for years, and they found this really bad. Take a look at their full review here to see exactly why they rated the game much lower than most reviews.

What are your first impressions of Halo 4, and do you agree with the review scores shown above? If you haven’t purchased Halo 4 yet and are wondering about the install size, then take a look at our earlier article.

One of the biggest gaming parties is about to start and this will celebrate Halo 4 with a midnight launch that crosses time zones, and will include countries from all corners of the globe. The Halo 4 midnight launch will include thousands of game stores around the world, which the popular UK GAME stores will have 250 stores open at 12:01am on the Halo 4 release date.

The Halo 4 midnight launch in the US will also include locations across the nation, and GameStop confirmed a few days ago that over 4,000 locations would be open for a midnight release. The party will start a few hours before midnight in most cases, and will include various activities including some people being dressed up in theme.

If you live in the US and want to know your nearest GameStop that has a Halo 4 midnight launch then you can see this page on the official website, which will track down the store nearest to your location. Our UK readers can look on the GAME website here, which lists all stores taking part in the UK Halo 4 midnight launch. This page will also show you opening times and offers a guide, although there is only 2 hours to go before the release in the UK.

Are you going to the Halo 4 midnight launch near your town/city, and if so feel free to hit the comments with how your release party went? It is worth pointing out that we heard from a few PR readers already that are holding their own “stay-up late parties at home“, so if this sounds like you feel free to share a comment below. We’d also love to hear your first impressions of Halo 4 after getting hands-on.

We know that Halo 4 is only just launching around the world, but you might want to see our article from yesterday that looked at Halo 5 and the Xbox 720.

There are some things you’ve got to ask when in the middle of an interview, and in respect of the Halo 4 launch and the future of this franchise, it had to be details about Halo 5 and Xbox 720 that an interviewer would try and find segments of information. This is exactly what happened when Brier Dudley performed an interview with Halo development director at 343 Industries, Frank O’Connor, and asked about Halo 5.

The Q&A also included the head of 343 Industries, Bonnie Ross, but the question about Halo 5 being worked on had been directed at O’Connor, which included digging for information on the Xbox 720 thanks to asking about how “critical” Halo 5 would be to the next Xbox? You can see the section of questions relevant to Halo 5, or whatever the next game will be called, below and this image also contains the answers from O’Connor.

From the answers given above you can pretty much count on a Halo 5 arriving at some point, unless Halo 4 is a complete disaster, and the fact that it will be crucial to the the Xbox 720 launch. You can read the full interview in this article, which delivers some interesting information but certainly lacks the finer details we’d all want to know about Xbox 720. The interviewer had been digging for juicy details and they would’ve been hoping for something to slip out during questioning.

343 Industries also made it clear that they have no plans to launch Halo 4 on PC at this time, which won’t make PC gamers happy and certainly shows how times have changed since the last Halo game. Considering how old the console hardware is and how good PC graphics are in comparison, it is a shame that gamers won’t be given the option of Halo 4 on PC.

Are you looking forward to playing Halo 4 on Xbox 360, and would you have liked a PC option as well?

It is pretty good news as well. We were expecting Halo 4 to come with a sizable disc install and 343 Industries has confirmed this. Xbox 360 users will have to set aside a whopping 8GB install for the second disc, but if you choose to make this change, you’ll be able to play through both game discs without physically swapping the disc yourself.

Furthermore players also have the option of installing this 8GB file to either the Xbox 360 hard drive, or an external flash drive if you want to save a some HDD space. It’s no secret that gamers do not like disc swapping anymore, but we have to say we quite enjoyed the times when we had to swap out up to four discs when playing Final Fantasy on the PS1.

Having the multiplayer portion loaded onto the hard drive or flash drive also means that there is less chance of experiencing any lag issues than what might have occurred if playing straight from the disc – a problem that was evident in previous Halo games.

Onwards and upwards though, we think this is great news in ensuring that gameplay remains as smooth as possible, both single player and multiplayer. Are you in a spot of botter though with just a 4GB Xbox 360 console and no external storage facilities? We’ve added the official pre-release live stream from 343 Industries below, giving you a taste of the goodness that is about to drop your way on November 6.

Let us know your thoughts on the graphics seen in Halo 4 and what you think of the different multiplayer modes demoed in the video.

For the first time in the UK Halo 4 will be playable with the Infinity multiplayer map, which will take place at the popular Eurogamer Expo for 2012. This gaming event will take place in London at Earls Court and between September 27-30, so if you’re a major Halo fan and can make it to this location then you might want to consider getting a ticket.

Halo 4 will be the biggest 2012 game on Xbox 360 in the UK and around the world. Eurogamer will also see a number of developer sessions, which the schedule also includes 343 Industries Frank O’Connor and his presentation for Halo 4. This session will take place on the 27th at around noon, which is perfect considering Halo 4 will launch in the UK on November 6.

If you haven’t seen the trailer for Halo 4′s Infinity Multiplayer, we doubt there are many of you, then you should watch the walkthrough below this article. The video runs for just under 3 minutes and explains the best bits. You can also see some gameplay on the Halo 4 Longbow map in this article from last month. Are you looking forward to getting hands-on with Infinity?

Eurogamer’s Operations Director, Tom Bramwell, had been looking for a big title for the events opening and Halo 4 was the ideal choice. Bramwell explained that Master Chief is a name that’s know to “more than” gamers, and better known as a “pop culture icon“. We’re sure this game will be the highlight of the show for some Xbox 360 gamers.

If you’re going to Eurogamer 2012 then share a comment with a list of the games you want to play. You might also want to see this Halo 4 Xbox 360 console that’s perfect for veterans.

We are here to inform you about one of those smaller events, as we’ve found out that there is a chance for you to play Halo 4 as soon as next month. The game is not releasing on Xbox 360 until November 6, but those fortunate enough to be living in Japan can visit the Xbox 360 Summer Annual Festival.

It is being held in two Japanese locations – Tokyo and Osaka. The Tokyo event will take place between August 25-26, while those interested in attending the Osaka event can do so on September 1, as detailed by AndriaSang. With the event being held in Japan, this obviously puts it out of the reach of most of our readers, but there are some lovely rewards for those willing to make the trip.

Aside from getting a rare playable preview of Halo 4 before anyone else, you’ll also be able to play several other big games coming out too, including Borderlines 2 and Resident Evil 6. Halo 4 is obviously the highlight though – how much of a fan are you we wonder?

It is surprising to say the least that Microsoft has chose to no-show both GamesCom and TGS 2012, especially since Sony will be at both shows unveiling their latest and greatest. If you can’t get to this event in Japan, there’s probably a good chance that it will be on at the Eurogamer Expo in London this September.

It looks pretty spectacular too, although you might be put off by the premium price tag. If you want to get your hands on one, you’ll have to cough up $399 for one. The contents include a 320GB console with silver and blue markings, a copy of Halo 4, two Halo 4 controllers with the same design and a headset too.

The price also includes some Xbox Live credit to download some Halo 4 DLC and some avatar materials from the Marketplace, so all in all it’s not too bad. We think the design of the console is excellent, so you’re basically paying the bulk of this money for that swanky design.

This may be a collector’s item, but do you really want to buy another Xbox 360 console with the Xbox 720 system just around the corner? It looks odds on to be releasing next year and there’s obviously a great chance that $399 will also score you a next-gen console, providing that Microsoft keeps it under $400.

You’ll also be pleased to know that you can purchase the Halo 4 controllers individually for $60 a pop if you don’t want to splash out on a console. Let’s see how loyal you really are Halo fans – leave us a comment if you plan to buy one. It will be available on November 6.

The game is due to be released on November 6, while the Microsoft Surface tablet should be available around the same time, although October has been suggested as a likely release period once Windows 8 becomes available.

The Wii U is obviously attracting all of the headlines for being able to combine television gaming with a standalone tablet, but are Microsoft planning to ruin Nintendo’s parade by making this possible on existing Xbox 360 hardware? It certainly would be an interesting bonus being able to interact with Master Chief on a smaller display, but it remains to be seen just what kind of functionality the surface will offer for the time being.

Some of you may feel that this is a little bit of a gimmick though and not needed for Halo 4. A controller and TV will be adequate for most Xbox 360 owners, but is this just a attempt by Microsoft to say to Nintendo that we can essentially do the same thing as well?

The Wii U is due out around the same time don’t forget, so it will be interesting to see what Reggie Fils-Aime thinks of Don Mattrick’s statement to VentureBeat. Are you really excited about the idea of setting up your Halo 4 multiplayer classes on a tablet, or not so much? Give us your thoughts on this.

Today we got some new gameplay for Halo 4, which takes place on the recently announced Longbow map and is sure to entice you to place a pre-order. This gameplay showcases ordnance drops and includes loads of vehicle action, plus the first sniper headshot we have seen.

The Halo 4 multiplayer footage had been shot during the RTX convention in Texas, and is pretty fresh considering it was uploaded to YouTube less than 24 hours ago. The quality is not the best but we’ll take any Halo 4 action right now, which should help feed appetites as we head towards its November 6 release date. You can watch the video below this article, so take a look at share your thoughts on Halo 4 in the comments.

Some gamers feel that Halo 4 will help the franchise make a come back, although we could argue it never really left. In our opinion Halo 4 is a massive step up from previous games, some people disagree with this, but a growing number of fans have placed pre-orders considering Halo is always a day one purchase for them no matter how it compares to past games.

Halo 4 will bring a new graphics engine with a higher resolution, rebalanced weapons and abilities, more perks and weapons, and loads of improvements to walking/sprint speed, jumping height, the spawn system, and a lot more.

What would you do to get a copy of Halo 4 early? You can also read about the install size here and fears for next-gen games.