Halo 4

**Insanecyclone** · 2012-03-05 09:26

I'm actually impressed. Much as I hate Halo, I would still prefer it over COD's fanbase. Been tempted to get Anniversary and Reach for the hell of it these past couple weeks.

http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/05/ha...unlockable-ab/

Halo 4 bringing the Battle Rifle back, introducing unlockable abilities in progression system

Few fictional weapons can drum up their own cult following. The cadence and rat-tat-tat ruthlessness of Halo's Battle Rifle is unmistakable no matter which side of the barrel you're on. It's a death sentence in the right hands, punctuated by an ellipse of bullets ... and painfully described in overwrought, armament love letters that say things like "ellipse of bullets." As far as iconic Halo bits and pieces go, the Battle Rifle seems almost as inextricable as Master Chief.

And yet the cyborg with humanity at heart skipped enough games for Microsoft to make a big deal out of his return in Halo 4. The new (ish) franchise custodians at 343 Industries are in a tight spot, where they have to shape a message not only around what's new, but what's coming back. The Battle Rifle's return is an easy way to establish the latter, then, especially to those fans who couldn't wrap their heads around the weapon's disappearance in the first place.

Speaking to Joystiq in an interview last year, former Bungie game designer Jaime Griesemer saw the weapon as a piece of deadly nostalgia. "It's not just a weapon, it's the weapon," he said. "For a skilled player, they spend most of their time using that one weapon. If you never miss, it's the most effective tool in the toolbox. So for them, Halo 3 is the Battle Rifle. All their Halo emotion and experience is tied up in it. So it isn't surprising to me when people react that way."

How daunting must it be to work in a space where a video game gun can reach beloved status? It's no wonder Microsoft is being sensitive and cryptic about Halo 4, which introduces what could be the biggest, most widespread (and controversial) change to the multiplayer in years. According to 343, Halo 4 will add customizable loadouts and abilities that are unlocked through a progression system.

I wish I could comment more on how that affects Halo's stable, accessible playing field, but important details are hard to come by at this stage. I can tell you health packs are out, that there's still no dual-wielding, and that over 200 developers are working on the game, building a new campaign and sophisticated multiplayer maps that aren't broken out of single-player scenes.

"Wraparound," one of two multiplayer maps that Microsoft has shown to press, exhibits sophisticated lighting and shiny, sparse hallways inside a forerunner shield world. The second locale, "Warhouse," is centered around a mech construction facility rife with catwalks and ramps (think: Sword Base).

Between these familiar scenes are promises of the new, like a "dark and ancient" foil for Master Chief, and a deeper exploration of the stoic half-protagonist, half-tank. But when I ask 343 if, say, sprinting is standard or still relegated to an optional ability, it's flagged as another game detail to be dripped out at an agonizing rate by the marketing machine. All I hear is, "Sorry, we can't talk about that right now."

For now, we talk about the trusty Battle Rifle, which is a good, reassuring component that worked well before. It shows 343 gets it, and that the development might just be populated by the kind of people who agonize over firing rhythm and making sure your trigger finger doesn't get bored between shots. They've established what Halo is, and now's the time to show us what it isn't, and what it could become.

**-Zer0-** · 2012-03-05 11:21

Saw the mech and immediately thought of the Legends' Prototype episode. I've always loved the development teams for Halo, and despite being a tad bit skeptical before, 343 definitely has my interest with this news.

**Kyo** · 2012-03-05 11:25

Meh, not interested in halo every year, quite bored with the drums of shooters every year quite honestly. But we shall see, my mind may change by the time it releases, but with AC 3, Borderlands 2 and The Last of Us releasing in the same time span, I doubt I'll get this right away.

**Nitsuki** · 2012-03-05 11:30

i dislike halo myself, but i'm pretty impressed at the effort being put into the game now.

**-Zer0-** · 2012-03-05 12:05

It didn't hit me the first time watching the video as it's been so long since I've touched on Halo lore, but the concept of a Spartan IV is pretty significant. With the whole cinematic aspects being more touched on, I'm a little more intrigued as to how this will play out in the story structure.

**BadKarma** · 2012-03-05 12:13

I am hype. *fanboyhelmeton*

**Serra** · 2012-03-05 14:26

Love the Halo franchise -- although it's not Bungie, the fact that a lot of the members of 343 are from Bungie has me very excited for this game~

**Weltall** · 2012-03-05 14:38

So epic...

Blackice · 2012-03-05 14:44

Rekindled my interest in the Halo franchise, well done 343.

**Kiarax** · 2012-03-05 14:46

Originally Posted by BadKarma

I am hype. *fanboyhelmeton*

Spoiler: show

Can't help but get super excited for Halo. Way too many hundreds of hours in Halo 2 to ever stop buying and getting excited by them, even though I didn't play Reach a whole lot. BR doesn't sound quite so sexy anymore from the short clip of it in the video. Disappoint.

**Ragnus** · 2012-03-05 15:01

Okay. I skipped out on Reach but I'm effing hype for this game.

**Tsuneo** · 2012-03-05 15:09

I completely forgot about Halo 4. It looks pretty nice. At least I'll have a reason to use my 360. My 360 hasn't been powered on in at least 5 months. I've been doing too much PC gaming.

**Dantrag** · 2012-03-05 15:26

This actually looks... good... I haven't played Halo since 2.

**Boyiee** · 2012-03-05 15:42

Reach multiplayer at a friends apartment with 2-4 people would have me in tears laughing on a daily basis. The game modes we made up in multiplayer were so freaking fun. Never touched singleplayer of any Halo since 1 or 2, but I haven't laughed harder with friends over a game than I did with reach multiplayer.

Can't wait to do it again.

**Serra** · 2012-03-05 17:20

Not sure why there's so much hate for Reach. Campaign without Flood -- what's not to love??

**6souls** · 2012-03-05 19:01

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7067/6...0e971030_o.jpg

Spoiler: show

**Mythe_Seraph** · 2012-03-06 00:55

If there is another Forge World type multiplayer game creator/editor, then this game will be super promising for tons of hours of online fun with friends (Reach was great for this, seriously so much you could do in it, really impressive for a console game imo). Pretty excited, always enjoyed the campaign story in these and if they're putting this much effort into making it better/deeper then I am that much more excited.

**Fallyn** · 2012-03-06 02:56

Sounds really exciting, can't wait now.

**6souls** · 2012-03-12 20:52

Though this ground has been covered time and time again in interviews around the web, 343 Industries officially announced during a Q&A session that they will not be having a multiplayer beta for Halo 4.

This news comes directly from the mouth of franchise development director Frank O’ Connor, who also confirmed that Grifball (the custom game mode made famous by Red vs. Blue creators RoosterTeeth) will be possible in Halo 4. While the depth of custom multiplayer modes has not been touched on in-depth yet, it’s comforting to know that modes like Grifball can (and likely will) see a return this fall.

Additionally, O’Connor confirmed that there would be no color-blind mode in the game, but considerations for those affected have been taken into account in the art direction.

The full fact sheet can be read over on the official Halo website.

Back to the beta discussion, Microsoft arose victorious in a few legal battles recently regarding fake Halo 4 beta websites. The website Halo4beta.net has been taken down, and Microsoft has already filed another complaint against Halo4beta.biz.

It all comes back around to the piece we wrote not too long ago. If you see anything on the internet about a Halo 4 beta, you can rest assured that it’s fake, a scam, or a money grab.

http://www.insidegamingdaily.com/201...ta-never-ever/
http://halo.xbox.com/blogs/Headlines...tin-30712.aspx

**Brill Weave** · 2012-03-12 21:33

Pass. Halo kind of lost me after 2. If anything it'll be a Gamefly rental for me.

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