Let’s get this out of the way: Holy mother of a nerf-herder, there was so much Star Wars goodness today. A galaxy far, far, away certainly knows how to do it big. A new trailer for Episode VII was shown off and it blew our minds, the release date for Star Wars Battlefront was leaked through the official website’s source code, and now there are even Star Wars themed emoticons on Twitter. Let’s just say this Padawan had a good day. Now for news from this galaxy! In todays Gaming Daily: Microsoft strikes back with a new Halo game, there’s a new hope for our pockets with Rock Band 4 not requiring new gear, and the return of the NPD sales figures reveals some interesting numbers. Let the force guide you through this news bonanza.

Halo: Spartan Strike now available

Going into a different galaxy, Halo: Spartan Strike is available on multiple platforms right now. After not hearing much about this title, Microsoft has finally released it and it is currently playable on Windows 8, Windows 8 phones, iOS, and Steam. Originally, this title was set to release in December of last year, but in the midst of all of The Master Chief Collection trouble, it sort of just disappeared. About 4 months later, it has finally arrived at the reasonable price point of $5.99. There is a glaring omission when it comes to the platforms it is available on, as the game is not currently on the Xbox One.

We can assume it will eventually hit the flagship console, but as of right now, there is no official indication of this. Spartan Strike is a top-down shooter much like Spartan Assault. You take control of a Spartan on New Mombasa during the events of Halo 2. Sure, it is not an addition to the main series, but you can never go wrong with a new Halo game. There are some touch controls improvements, and the Windows 8 version is set to include weekly challenges.

After the debacle that was The Master Chief Collection, Microsoft has a lot of work ahead of them to restore trust in the Halo franchise. It was very smart of them to not release this title during the whole mess, since it would have just gained negative reception.

Play Rock Band 4 with all your old band gear

Let the battle of the bands continue! After the recent reveal of Guitar Hero Live, Daniel Sussman, Rock Band 4’s project leader, had some interesting news to share that should make every hoarders wallet happy. The new installment of the series will support old Rock Band and Guitar Hero gear. If you haven’t been keeping up with all this music game news, its competitor will not have that ability. So not only will Rock Band support more than just a guitar, unlike Guitar Hero, it will presumably be cheaper than the $100 it will cost for GH Live. Well played, Harmonix.

Sussman even went as far as saying that the new guitar controller from their competitor may end up being compatible with their newest game. It’s obvious that both games are meant to provide completely different experiences, and now one will be much cheaper than the other. We have yet to see much of the new Harmonix title, but even still– this has just become an epic battle between the two musical game franchises.

NPD shows console sales slowing down a bit

March’s NPD numbers are in and once again, the PS4 has outsold the Xbox One. Overall, the console sales have gone down by 9 %. No reason to freak out though, not too many games have been released this month to urge people who haven’t yet to get onboard with (now) current-gen consoles. The good news is that handheld sales, however, have gone up.

The NPD charts also revealed that Bloodborne did pretty well, coming in second to Battlefield Hardline. Sony recently revealed that the new IP had sold over 1 million copies since launch, and considering a lot of people thought that this game would only appeal to a niche market, its success on a mainstream level is extremely impressive. Plus, Bloodborne only released on one console, as opposed to Hardline, which was released on multiple platforms. Because of its reputation, the From Software title was definitely not going to move too many consoles despite the stellar reviews.

Overall, a good month for Sony with MLB 15 The Show making the top ten as well. Some other nice additions to the top ten games sold include, Mario Party 10, Borderlands: The Handsome Jack Collection, and Final Fantasy Type: 0 HD. Grand Theft Auto V and Call of Duty also continue to trounce the competition. Check out the full list of top ten game sales below:

1. Battlefield Hardline 
2. Bloodborne 
3. Grand Theft Auto V 
4. Mario Party 10 
5. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare 
6. MLB 15: The Show 
7. Minecraft 
8. NBA 2K15 
9. Borderlands: The Handsome Collection 
10. Final Fantasy: Type 0 HD  

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That is it for today, nerf-herders. So much good stuff today! Take your X-Wing down to the comments section below and tell us whether you are going to download the new Halo game. Also, let us know if Rock Band not needing all new accessories has swayed you in its direction. And always remember: Never go to the dark side.