The Locust horde from Gears 5 now has a new enemy to fear, as two of the Spartans from Halo: Reach will be playable as part of a character pack that’ll be available to those who purchased the Ultimate Edition of the game or those who subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
Halo: Reach was a prequel to Halo: Combat Evolved that was released for the Xbox 360 in 2010. The game follows a squad of Spartan supersoldiers known as Noble Team whose final mission was instrumental in the defeat of the Covenant in later games in the series. The people who missed out on the chance to play Halo: Reach when it was first released are in luck, as it’s being added to the PC version of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, which is due to be released in 2019.
The Noble Team has not finished battling aliens just yet, as it was revealed during the Gamescom edition of Inside Xbox that Emile and Kat from Halo: Reach will be playable as part of the Halo: Reach Character Pack for Gears 5. The only way to acquire this pack is by purchasing the Ultimate Edition of Gears 5 or by subscribing to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Gears 5 might not have a Season Pass, but Microsoft is still hiding some of the best content behind expensive editions. The Halo: Reach Character Pack also includes the Halo: Reach Noble Team Banner, Bloodspray, Mark, and Weapon Set that players can use in the multiplayer modes of the game. Check out a trailer below, via Xbox’s YouTube channel.
The developers of Gears 5 discussed the inclusion of Emile and Kat during Inside Xbox, and talked about how they wanted to be as authentic to Halo: Reach as possible, which includes the addition of the Drop Shield and the Hologram as unique abilities that the Spartans possess. The developers also tracked down the original voice actors for the characters (Jamie Hector for Emile and Alona Tal for Kat) so that they could reprise their roles for Gears 5.
Halo and Gears of War are two of the biggest Microsoft gaming franchises, yet the two series have rarely crossed over, outside of DLC vehicle designs in Rocket League, despite their similar premises. The Spartans from Halo: Reach will be part of the multiplayer modes in Gears 5, which might not be the crossover between the two franchises that Xbox fans may have wanted, but the fact that two members of the Noble Team are returning after almost a decade to take on the Locusts is still an amazing gift to fans of both the Halo and Gears of War franchises.
Next: Halo: Reach On PC Gets The Job Done, But It’s Clearly A 9-Year-Old Game
Source: Xbox/YouTube
