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EA Access is a new service from EA for Xbox Live that "unlocks The Vault, a collection of EA's biggest games on Xbox One ready for you to download and play. During the beta, gamers will have unlimited access to four great EA games: FIFA 14, Madden NFL 25, Peggle 2 and Battlefield 4™, with more titles being added soon. That's over $100 worth of games for $4.99 a month. You can play these EA favorites as much as you want with the click of a button. " In addition to EA's library, subscribers also get access to trials of games up to five whole days before they're released, and 10% off EA games that are not part of the EA Vault.

The latest teaser for Halo 5: Guardians is only 10 seconds long and features one visible word: traitor.  A link in the description takes you to a Hunt the Truth tumblr, which serves as an investigation into "the real Master Chief."  On the site, Keegan-Michael Key (as in Key and Peele) plays journalist Benjamin Giraud doing a podcast profile turned investigation of Master Chief, the first episode of which you can listen to below.  The site also shows an easy-to-scrub version of the teaser that reveals ten additional words written on the bullet.  They are: son, abductee, victim, orphan, recruit, soldier, warrior, ally, hero, and savior.




Who is the Master Chief, and is he keeping us safe?  Is he a hero or a traitor?  What does all of this mean for the next chapter in Master Chief's story?

The next episode of the Hunt the Truth podcast airs Sunday, March 29 and will hopefully bring some answers.  If nothing else, this is an interesting and compelling take on viral marketing.

He announced the departure via Twitter and added that he's "not yet ready to say what that new thing is… But OMG is writing code very [sic] day and exploring ideas fun!" His Twitter bio states his current project is "independent secret stuff."

Microsoft is offering a free digital download to consumers whose Xbox One's have defective optical drives. Those offered a game can choose from Dead Rising 3, Forza Motorsport 5, Ryse: Son of Rome and Zoo Tycoon. Hopefully that'll hold you over until your new console arrives.

Priced at $399, this bundle comes with Assassin's Creed Unity and Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag (and an Xbox One). The bundle will be released on November 2, 2014. There will also be a version of the bundle with Kinect for $499.

Amidst the flurry of discussion after the unveiling of Nintendo's Switch. Head of the Xbox division, Phil Spencer, promises that the next Microsoft console will be "The most powerful console ever made."

Bonnie Ross, General Manager of 343 Industries announced it today saying,

I'm happy to reveal that "Halo 5: Guardians," the next installment in the legendary saga of the Master Chief, will launch on Xbox One in fall of 2015. In the tradition of every "Halo" game since its debut in 2001, it is a massive and exciting project.

"Halo 5: Guardians" is a bigger effort than "Halo 4." That applies to the content and scope of the game, as well as the technology in what's now a brand new and more powerful engine. Certainly there are some core elements carried over from prior games, but we've invested a huge effort in retooling our tech to take full advantage of the Xbox One's hardware and ecosystem to create worlds and experiences worthy of next-gen.

It's a game that will hopefully demonstrate the talent, learnings and abilities of the 343 Industries team. A game that will incorporate the things we learned from "Halo 4" about technology, aesthetics, performance and scale – and perhaps more importantly, understanding and embracing a community of gamers who love what lies at the heart of this game, and the limitless potential of the "Halo" universe.