Halo 4 Limited Edition bags early access to Halo 4 DLC

Microsoft has released first details and pics of the Halo 4: Limited Edition, a Scarab-sized bundle of treats. It'll set you back £69.99, and includes the separately available Forward Unto Dawn live action miniseries plus "making of" featurettes, early access to Halo 4 DLC maps and some Spartan swank for your Xbox Live Avatar.

Here's the PR rundown. Prepare to die of acute bullet point poisoning.

War Games Map Packs

The Limited Edition includes access to nine maps - three future competitive multiplayer map packs, each including three locations, available for download post-launch on Xbox LIVE.

Receive early access to six Specializations, available at launch on Xbox LIVE, and use them, one at a time, to achieve higher ranks in your Spartan career. In addition to gaining access to new ranks, Specializations unlock new customization options.

The Special Edition of Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn

A 90-minute extended version of the live-action digital series which will take fans back to the terrifying beginning of the Human/Covenant war, when the Master Chief inspired a young cadet who would eventually become a leader aboard the UNSC's greatest vessel ever: the UNSC Infinity.

Digital Content also included

Bonus in-fiction bonus content expanding the characters and stories of Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn; Special Featurette: Bringing Gaming into Reality; Making of Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn

Bonus digital content through Xbox Live

- Unique in-game Spartan IV armor skin

- Unique in-game weapon skin for the Assault Rifle

- An exclusive in-game emblem

- Xbox Live Avatar prop

- Xbox Live Avatar Spartan IV armor set

The Limited Edition also contains the UNSC Infinity Briefing Packet which includes a Spartan armor customization schematic, an introduction to the massive ship UNSC Infinity, and insight into The Spartan IVs.

The release also contains details of the baseline Halo 4 offerings. There's nothing really new here, but just in case you need reminding...

- The Reclaimer Saga Begins: Experience the dawn of an epic new Halo adventure, solo or split screen with up to three friends.

- Go Beyond the Story: Halo 4's Infinity Multiplayer features a vastly expanded suite of multiplayer modes, weapons, vehicles, armor abilities, a new loadout and Spartan IV player progression system.

- Spartan Ops: Extend your campaign experience in a massive-scale adventure that builds upon the "Halo 4" Campaign. Receive a weekly series of cinematic episodes on Xbox Live followed by new game play missions, played solo or cooperatively with up to three friends - effectively delivering two campaign experiences in one game.

- War Games: Battle the competition in fresh, immersive new game modes and strategies.

- Track your groups, stats and scores on HaloWaypoint.com.

- Edge-of-your-seat Entertainment: Immerse yourself in Halo 4's graphics, sound and epic game play including a mysterious and deadly new class of enemies.

The hub of the Halo 4 multiplayer experience is the UNSC Infinity - the largest starship in the UNSC fleet that serves as the centre of your Spartan career. Here you'll build your custom Spartan-IV supersoldier, and progress your multiplayer career across all Halo 4 competitive and cooperative game modes. Surrounded by the sights, sounds and crew of the biggest vessel in the UNSC fleet, your multiplayer experience will be embedded in the fiction of "Halo" like never before, where your progress and game choices affect your appearance, arsenal, and role on the battlefield.

Spartan Ops

The story of the UNSC Infinity intersects with the Halo 4 campaign, then continues on in a brand-new, story-driven experience known as Spartan Ops. A first of its kind and an exciting new addition to the Halo franchise, Spartan Ops is an episodic adventure that blends immersive storytelling, high-quality cinematics, and action-packed gameplay to deliver an unprecedented serialised experience. A massive-scale adventure that builds off the Halo 4 story, access to Spartan Ops is included with Halo 4 at no additional charge - effectively delivering two campaign experiences in one game.

The competitive multiplayer modes of Halo 4, known as War Games, take place on the combat deck of the UNSC Infinity and revive the visceral and immersive experiences that "Halo" multiplayer is famous for. Halo 4 introduces fresh, immersive new game modes and strategies to help you progress your Spartan-IV career, while also delivering an experience that's still distinctly and uniquely Halo. More details on all the modes of War Games will be released at a later time.

Total Combat Freedom and Player Progression

Halo 4 features a vastly expanded suite of new multiplayer modes, weapons, vehicles, armour abilities, a new loadout and player progression system, and a new armour modification system that introduces gameplay-enhancing customisations for the first time in a Halo game. These advancements can be used in both Spartan Ops and certain War Games matchmaking playlists, empowering player choice, vastly expanding their creative options, and make the experience deeper for core fans and more approachable for newcomers.