The rumors of Halo 2 Anniversary weren’t only true, they were better than true.

Master Chief will indeed return on Xbox One with a remastering of his epic 2004 sequel – arguably the most anticipated and beloved game in Xbox history – and he will hit Microsoft’s newest console with the original Halo 2 multiplayer completely intact.

Microsoft and 343 Industries will, in fact, release Halo: The Master Chief Collection on November 11 – nearly a decade to the day since Halo 2’s November 9, 2004 arrival – and it will include Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2 Anniversary, Halo 3, and Halo 4. All will run in 1080p and 60 frames per second and include their full multiplayer suites in their original forms, with the added bonus of running on dedicated servers. Oh, and it’s also packing your ticket to the Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer beta that begins in December 2014, as well as the digital film Halo: Nightfall, an episodic release that will premiere on November 11 and run in multiple weekly installments

Lets take a look at what was announced…

The main part:

    All four Master Chief Halo games on one disc
    Custom playlists that allow you to string together missions across multiple games
    Halo 5 beta key included

All four games – developed as a collaboration between 343 Industries (user interface, online infrastructure, etc.), Saber Interactive (Halo 2 Anniversary campaign), and Certain Affinity (multiplayer) will ship on a single, $60 Blu-ray disc; the individual games will not be available as separate digital downloads. You’ll run a single master user interface, from which you can queue up anything you want. All campaign levels are unlocked from the get-go, and playlists created and curated by 343 will allow you to experience moments from across all four campaigns in a variety of ways. For example: want to play all the Warthog levels in every game? Jump into that playlist and you’ll be able to do just that.

Meanwhile, multiplayer matchmaking will offer the usual assortment of playlists you’ve come to expect from Halo games – Team Snipers, Rumble Pit, etc. – and let players vote on which map they want next. But what’s cool is that you may be presented with three choices that span three different games. Say, Halo: CE’s “Wizard,” Halo 2’s “Lockout,” and Halo 3’s “The Pit.” Whichever gets the most votes is the game that MCC will launch, after which you’ll be taken back to the multiplayer lobby with your friends. Finally, the Extras menu is home to the Nightfall digital feature as well as the launch pad for December’s Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer beta. It will run from December 27, 2014, and end on January 22.

This Collection packs a whopping 4,000 Achievement points, as they’ve been allotted 1,000 per game from Microsoft. Some of those will be exact replicas of their original Gamerscore-earners, but some will be new, too.

Personally, I’m looking forward to the collection, keep an eye on the Sanitarium.FM website for more news as we get it!