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.
"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.
Microsoft did some housekeeping recently, cleaning up some Halo domains it had missed earlier this year, picking up the .net and .org versions of Halo 7, Halo 8 and Halo 9, thus securing yet another potential trilogy after Halo 4's new trilogy begins later this year.
Read more: Part of Microsoft's 'ongoing business strategy' »
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It's entirely understandable if you have no interest in the world and backstory of Halo, but look at the live-action web series Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn this way--it's another sci-fi series to watch, which is always welcome. The first proper trailer was released during Comic-Con, showing the sort of military academy shenanigans we can expect when it debuts on October 5.
343 Industries has been cagey about a Forge mode in Halo 4, but it would be shocking if the next numbered installment lacked the popular feature. As it turns out, the mode is in development from Certain Affinity, the studio behind Crimson Alliance and various Halo map packs.
Read more: New creation features, and ways to impact gameplay »
With Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary out of the way and Halo 4 just around the corner, what's next for Microsoft's Halo-dedicated studio? One rumor suggests 343 Industries will be moving on to updating another classic, Halo 2.
"The flood were the exact opposite of what made Halo fun. Halo had really interesting combat ..."
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