Mountain Dew and double XP. Two great tastes that taste great together. PepsiCo has announced that it is continuing its annual promotion, this time pairing the colorful flavors of Mountain Dew and Doritos with Halo 4.

Starting today, players can create an account on either DewXP.com or DoritosXP.com to "accelerate" Halo 4 specializations, reveal new gear and weapons, and preselect and customize armor and an arsenal.

Read more: 'Mega XP' offer from Walmart »

Halo 4 is mixing some old and new, bringing back the familiar Covenant enemies alongside the more alien Prometheans. The zombie-like Flood have been conspicuously absent, but 343 Industries has confirmed they will be making an appearance in their own dedicated multiplayer mode.

Read more: Similar to Infection mode »

You've read Andrew's preview of Halo 4, right? Now, watch some new video from the campaign in today's episode. Then, if you want another shooting game, here's Far Cry 3. Here's how to survive in the jungle. Finally, we look at a few iPhone games, just in time for your shiny new iPhone 5.

Watch: Shacknews Daily: September 21, 2012 »

On this week's episode of Weekend Confirmed, Garnett Lee, Jeff Mattas, and Andrew Yoon are joined by Insomniac's James Stevenson. The show begins with some thoughts about the new PlayStation "Super Slim" console, and there are a number of games to talk about. Borderlands 2, FTL, Halo 4, and Black Mesa are just some of the titles the team discusses, and there's even some more pontificating about the upcoming Wii U launch lineup. And, of course, the crew's Finishing Moves bring it all home.

Listen: Weekend Confirmed Episode 131 »

"Wake up, Chief," a distressed Cortana says as she stands in front of the cryogenically frozen Master Chief. "I need you." It's an oddly emotional moment, made possible by Halo 4's incredibly impressive facial animation system. And with Halo 3 having finished the fight, it's refreshing to see how new developer 343 Industries is taking a more personal approach to the narrative.

That's not to say that Halo 4 doesn't start with a bang, because it literally does. The drifting Forward Unto Dawn has been boarded by the Covenant and things quickly escalate. This introductory level reminds us of what made the original trilogy so great, by throwing nearly every Covenant enemy and weapon your way. The variety certainly makes it easy to see the strength of Halo's "sandbox" gameplay; and because Halo 4's guns lack ammo, the game encourages you to constantly discard and pick up new weapons along the way.

Read more: And then, 343 does something new »

After six games of butting heads with the comical Covenant, Halo 4 will introduce armchair Spartans to a new foe, the naughty Prometheans. Obviously, a lot of thought has gone into making a new adversary that will last at least another trilogy, as a new ten-minute video developer diary details. Folks from 343 Industries gas about their aesthetic, their technology, their weaponry, and the tough Forerunner class.

Watch: Melting space-men with lasers »

You might have noticed that many sci-fi stories feature violent future-sports, as if the XFL was a huge success and inspired imitators. Gears of War has Thrashball, Rollerball has itself, and Halo has the community-created Grifball. 343 Industries has decided to tip its hat to the game, by making it an official part of Halo 4's multiplayer offerings.

Read more: Like football, with swords »

Frustrated by the four hour campaigns offered by most modern shooters? Halo 4 wants to buck the trend. According to representatives of developer 343 Industries, the game's Spartan Ops mode alone will be longer than the entirety of Halo 3: ODST.

Read more: Achievements raise concerns about length »

On top of today's specialization details, 343 Industries has also given some more information on the Limited Edition, and the (somewhat unsurprising) revelation that the "War Games Map Pass" will be sold separately. The pass will go on sale for $24.99 on November 6, alongside Halo 4.

Read more: The full Limited Edition line-up »

Halo 4 is 343 Industries' first take on Microsoft's iconic FPS franchise, and the new team is hoping to shake up the formula with a few new features like Spartan Ops. Of course, fans are curious to find out how multiplayer will change. 343 is introducing "Specializations," essentially a class system to let you tailor your Spartan to your liking.

Read more: Specialization perks outlined »

After three games of stoic silence, Master Chief is finally getting ready to speak. Halo 4 has been pitched as a more personal story for the character; while he'll still be "a man of few words," the voice actor behind the iconic Microsoft mascot is excited to dive into a meatier role.

Read more: More work 'by a factor of ten' »

If you ask someone what their most anticipated game is, you'll usually get a variety of answers, with a few games mentioned more than others. Marketing and metrics firm Nielsen gathered up some numbers after E3 and now tells us what we really want on the consoles.

Read more: Madden NFL 13 anticipated on all three consoles »

Halo 4's Forge mode is getting some serious upgrades. Community manager Jessica Shea has outlined some more of the features and improvements we can expect from this new version of the popular map editor.

For one thing, this Forge mode will actually let you chose from various environments based on the main game. "The difference is that we'll use more than one environment - an aesthetic - rather than a giant contiguous space like Forge World," Shea said.

Read more: Environmental objects and lighting options »

The rumored special edition Xbox 360 for Halo 4 is real, Microsoft has confirmed. However, if you're not looking to plop down $400 for another console, there's one other way to buy some specially-branded hardware. A special UNSC controller will be sold separately for $59.99.

Read more: Available this November »

Like Halo 3 before it, Master Chief's next outing looks to be getting a special edition Xbox 360 console. A brief hiccup from Microsoft accidentally outed a Halo 4 console, which features a custom paint job and sounds.

Read more: Flashing lights and exclusive DLC »