Back in December, we had reported that part one of Halo Legends episode ‘Origins’ would be available on Halo WayPoint, Xbox Live on January 2, 2010. It is now revealed that Halo Legends, complete with eight new chapters are expected to hit stores by next month in the form of DVD and Blu-ray.
Halo Legends is produced by 343 Industries and is noted that the distribution rights of the title is given to Warner Bros. The movie showcases some great Japanese anime unfurling over seven new animated stories all packed in one single offering. It appears that the Halo series of games have got a great response from players all across the globe as more than 27 million copies were sold. These numbers made the record for the highest-grossing entertainment launch till date.
The offered episodes are based in the 26th Century of the Halo Universe. Each chapter in the movie is fashioned by a highly acclaimed Japanese anime studio which portrays the Halo universe in its own unique visual styles. Origins: Part 1 and 2 which dwells upon the history of the fantastic universe is directed by Hideki Futamura, Studio 4°C. The Duel is directed by Hiroshi Yamazaki, produced by Mitsuhisa Ishikawa and creative supervision done by Mamoru Oshii. The episode sees Fal, an Arbiter, reluctant to follow the Covenant religion. The studio responsible for the episode, Production I.G has also been associated with other famous titles like Ghost in the Shell, The Wolf Brigade and Jin-Roh.
Homecoming revolves around the tragedies pertaining to the SPARTAN-II recruitment in 2517. This episode is also from Production I.G and is directed by Koichi Mashimo and Koji Sawai. Odd One Out is noted to be a parody story of the universe and canon. This is formulated by Toei Animation company and has Daisuke Nishio taking the directors helm. Prototype features a Marine deployed to far off planets in order to obliterate a prototype powered armor. This title is directed by Tomoki Kyoda Yasushi Muraki and includes production designs by Shinji Aramaki. Studio Bones is responsible for the episode.
The Babysitter follows four Drop Ship Troopers as they travel to a Covenant zone in order to get rid of a Prophet. Also produced by Studio 4°C, the episode is produced by Eiko Tanaka and directed by Toshiyuki Kanno who is associated with productions such as Fighting Spirit and Zone of the Enders among others. The Package is a two-part all CGI-film occurring during a SPARTAN-II raid on a Covenant CCS-class Battlecruiser by utilizing the Booster Frames. The episode is fashioned by Casio Entertainment and penned by Dai Sato and sees Shinji Aramaki as Creative Director.
Halo Legends is set to unveil in three formats namely 1-disc DVD, 2-disc Special Edition DVD and limited edition Blu-Ray steel book. The 2-disc Special Edition comprises of many bonus features like audio commentary with directors Frank O’Connor and Joseph Chou in ‘The Making of Halo Legends’ and ‘Halo: Gaming Evolved’. The Blu-Ray version is packed with bonus material like the extras from the 2-disc Special Edition and ‘Halo: The Story so Far’ which gives viewers a peak into the Halo universe till the end of Halo 3.
Halo Legends is scheduled to release on February 15th 2010 although the exact pricing details are yet to be confirmed by the company.