The next free update for Halo 5 will be hitting servers later this month and like previous updates before it, it will include some new game modes for multiplayer and a range of new items that can be picked up through REQ packs.

Perhaps the biggest addition to this month's free update is the inclusion of Griffball. Griffball is one of the most popular mini games for Halo and it features two teams as they fight to pick up a ball and place it in the opposing team's goal in a small court room. The reason why Griffball is so special is because players are loaded up with gravity hammers and energy swords.

Speaking of gravity hammers, this weapon will be making a big splash in Warzone this month - available as a rare REQ, the gravity hammer is sure to have a big impact on the playing field. It's hard to say whether there will be any extra REQs for the gravity hammer but the new Hammer Storm update will include a number of extra REQs for the assault rifle and the DMR.

Some

One of the things that has helped Halo to stick around for so long is it's huge versatility. For example, the Halo 3 campaign was filled with tons of easter eggs and unlockables that could make playing through the game a second (or third) time still incredibly enjoyable, and it's multiplayer was always filled with a variety of hot-swappable game modes.

To top it all off, Forge gave players the ability to create their own maps and game modes, and it’s back on the Master Chief Collection, and it's better than ever. Whilst players will be able to play Forge on the Halo 2 maps, they will also be given access to three different blank canvas maps that allow players to create to their heart's content.

To make up for the lack of terrain on these empty levels, 343 have added a large range of natural scenery formations including flat pieces of ground, hills, trees and rocks, all of which can be used to create a nice base for a level.

A lot of new features have been added to the

343 Sends Specialization Codes

Just like they promised, 343 Industries has sent out codes that unlock all specializations in-game to players that played Halo 4 on or before November 20^th. The codes were sent out via email and sent to the emails associated with each player's gamertag.

Once unlocked, the specializations still require you to reach Spartan Rank 50 before you can use them though, and if you didn't play before November 20^th, or you are situated in Europe, the Middle East or Africa and didn't preorder, you won't have access to the extra specializations.

At first, 343 had a few issues sending out the emails, but Jessica Shea, community

Bungie were very nice to the Halo Reach community, and were always fine tuning the matchmaking playlists to make players' gameplay experiences ever more improved. Bungie went as far as to change some of the weapon mechanics, which is a huge deal when applying this to an Xbox 360 game that had been out for over a year. 343 Industries hasn't mentioned any such game-changing plans, but they are adding and rotating the War Games playlists each week. Last week 343 added SWAT to the mix, which for many was a great relief, and it's quickly become one of the most played playlists on War Games matchmaking.

Next week 343 will be adding Team Snipers, which will be playable on Longbow, Complex, Solace, Ragnarok, Vortex, Exile and Meltdown. Similarly to SWAT, players will be able to choose between predefined load outs, although so far secondary weapons have not been included.

A few other changes have also been applied to matchmaking, and although there isn't anything too interesting, these

Halo 4 Info

One of the biggest problems with the Halo: Reach matchmaking was credit farming, and Bungie took it quite seriously. In Halo 4, 343 have revised the new experience system to make sure no one gets too far ahead, which is reasonable seeing as experience and Spartan ranks will now unlock players new equipment which are beneficial to playing better in the game.

Unlike Halo Reach, Halo 4 has had a pretty sturdy experience restriction straight into the game at launch, and this can limit the amount of experience players can earn a day whilst playing Spartan Ops and War games. Jessica Shea, community manager for Halo 4, wrote a message on Waypoint to explain the system

Halo 4 Sales Records

So by now I expect a lot of you have settled in with the new gameplay within Halo 4, and are slowly rising up the Spartan Ranks. But when I say a lot of you, it may be a lot more than you might think.

343 Industries have set quite a record in games sales according to VGChartz Estimates. VGChartz have given details about Halo 4's day one sales, and the numbers are quite astonishing. Halo 4 has managed to sell 3.1 million copies in total, which is the most any console exclusive has ever sold within day one sales. 60% of those sales, or 1.9 million units were

You would have thought that after all the leaked footage and campaign gameplay of Halo 4 there would have been enough reports to fully reveal Halo 4 in its naked form, but somehow it seems that 343 and Microsoft have managed to keep some secrets behind closed doors.

The picture above shows some kind of Promethean weapon or enemy capable of inflicting a considerate amount of damage to the chief and his companions, and it has a shape that we haven't seen in official previews of the game. The new image was revealed by IGN, and has created a ripple of interest throughout different websites and pages on the internet.

343 and Microsoft have released a fair amount of information on the rather complex species and their ranking positions within the main four Promethean groups; the four different Knights, three Crawler variations, and a Watcher species, but all of these are loosely based on a humanoid shape and the concept in the image is some sort of strange orb or space weapon.