It's an exciting time for gamers and Halo fans especially. Not only has an enormous pile of high profile, high quality games released over the last few weeks, but it has done so right before we enter the holidays where we all hope to find the time to play that which we love. Included among this year's releases is of course, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, a game that re-offers the experience of the original Halo and celebrates the 10 years of glory the franchise has endured since that time, with re-mastered graphics and brand new features.

To celebrate that anniversary, the return of the original Halo and a future full of potential for the series, beginning with Halo 4 next year, we wanted to share a little something to get you thinking about the holidays: a contest for an amazing book titled Halo: The Art of Building Worlds.

The Art of Building Worlds is an official Halo art book that features over 400 images from the series including sketches, commentary and concept art. It's a must-have for any lover of the Halo franchise as a look back at what the franchise has offered over the decade and Game Rant is giving you a chance to win one right here. But first, some details on what Halo: The Art of Building Worlds is all about.

The Prize: Halo - The Art of Building Worlds

The award-winning Halo series of video games is 10 years old. Having sold more than 40 million copies worldwide, millions of fans have spent billions of hours with the Master Chief and Noble Six, defeating the Covenant and saving the Universe. Now, for the first time in a single art book, Halo: The Art of Building Worlds brings together a lavish and spectacular collection of groundbreaking art from the entire range of Halo games. This is the ultimate gallery of the Halo universe, with over 400 images including sketches, commentary, and concept art from all stages of development, including characters, weapons, and sweeping landscapes as envisioned by more than thirty of the amazing artists behind the first ten years of Halo including Isaac Hannaford, Shi Kai Wang, Frank Capezzuto and Jaime Jones.

From the earliest concepts for Pillar of Autumn and The Maw to the streets of New Mombasa, from the Master Chief to Noble Six, here you’ll find unparalleled access to the artistic innovation of the Halo archive charting the glorious decade that gave us HALO: COMBAT EVOLVED, HALO 2, HALO 3, HALO WARS, HALO 3: ODST, Halo Legends and HALO: REACH.

Opening with a review of how it all began – the Forerunners, their weapons and their worlds, the Ark, the ringworlds, and “The Silent Cartographer,” We Are Their Instruments delves into the design of the covenant forces – in turn, the elites, jackals, skirmishers, brutes, grunts and hunters take centre stage. Truth and Reconciliation and High Charity form the centrepieces for an overview of Covenant technology, with details on the designs for the corvettes and Scarabs, the Covenant ground fleet–and the fall of Reach–plus dropships, Phantoms, Spirits, Banshees and many more. Then it’s time to face The Flood. Discover the artists who brought the horror of The Flood to life, who detailed the pureforms, the attacks, the spread of infection and the awesome ultimate parasite, the Gravemind.

Welcome to the Corps introduces the heroes of Halo and collects the artists’ thoughts behind the designs of the UNSC troops, Cortana and Dr Halsey, Jacob and Miranda Keyes, and Lord Hood. UNSC weaponry, designs and details for the marines, Spartans and ODST, plus Warthog & Scorpion concepts, and a look at UNSC air power culminates in stunning Pillar of Autumn pieces. Of course, he gets his own chapter. The Master Chief. The artists who created this seminal hero reveal the secrets of the Master Chiefs’ development through a stunning array of artworks, early concept sketches and death-defying action shots.

Concluding with the visualisations of the Halo homeworlds, Halo: The Great Journey: The Art of Building Worlds reveals the designs behind Reach, Harvest, Arcadia and Earth, with features on Crow’s Nest, Tsavo Highway, the artefact, New Alexandria and New Mombasa, plus Reach wildlife and interiors, and the detailing and designing of worlds under alien attack.

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Contest Details: How to Win!

Just last week, new details emerged from 343 Industries about their first take on the Halo franchise and what new features and changes Halo 4 will see, to differentiate itself from previous games in the series. Master Chief is back and he'll be visually different, potentially due to new armor and new enhancements.

If that's the case and Master Chief can do more than before, we want to hear from you what one new feature, ability or weapon you'd like to see Master Chief utilize in Halo 4.

  1. Share your ideas in the comments and/or on Twitter to @gamerant for your chance to win.
  2. Become a fan of Game Rant on Facebook.
  3. We'll pick one winner from the creative and interesting responses and ship the book to you.

The contest is open to Canadian and U.S. resident only.

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Follow me on Twitter @rob_keyes.