When we last saw the iconic Master Chief he was placed into cybersleep inside the ruins of the Forward Unto Dawn as he announced what we thought would be his final words:
“Wake me… when you need me.”
Well it looks like we are gonna see a lot more of the chief this holiday season with the upcoming Halo 4. The planet that the Chief was drifting to in the legendary ending of Halo 3 is in fact the setting for this game. 343 Industries has been hard at work with its newest installment of the franchise. Both the campaign and multiplayer have had some serious (seriously awesome) changes to them that has me wishing I could cybersleep until the release date so I wouldn’t have to wait so long. Those lucky one’s at Gameinformer got to witness the beginning of the first level and the article I read just blew me… away.
Image courtesy of Gameinformer
Image courtesy of Gameinformer
THE CAMPAIGN
The Chief and Cortana are back and ready for action. Master Chief’s armor has undergone a major makeover, remodeled to look more sleek, powerful, and deadly. The helmet HUD system has also undergone some changes as well. According to Gameinformer:
“The new helmet HUD speaks to the fruit’s of [Cortana’s] labor, exhibiting subtle parallax movement during athletic actions, and more visual cues that indicate the presence of the helmet.”
The graphics have been vamped up as well. Apparently they are a huge step from Halo Reach which I am extremely excited about.
The covenant are back and probably MAD. Players will face familiar enemies such as Grunts, Brutes, and yes… Elites. What caused the elites to join back with the Covenant only time will tell. In addition to the Covenant, new enemy species will be added into the game as well along with their new weapons and equipment, adding a third possibly lethal player into the mix. Those developers cared not to share that information with Gameinformer but I like surprises.
This guy looks pissed off...
Image courtesy of Gameinformer
THE MULTIPLAYER
When players turn on Halo 4, they will be greeted with a new option called “Infinity” which is the new Halo matchmaking. Recently some games, like Assassin’s Creed Revelations, have tried integrating the multiplayer world with the world of the campaign. 343 Industries has taken this concept and brought it to an entirely new level, one that may change the way multiplayer games function entirely.
The player steps into the shoes of the Spartan IV that are deployed on the UNSC Infinity, the largest spacecraft in the entire fleet. The ship serves as the training ground for all Spartan IV soldiers and the setting for all multiplayer matches. The “Combat Deck” can replicate any environment possible for Spartan IV’s to train and level up. You start out as a recruit and must work your way to the top. As you rank, new abilities and weapons become available to your personalized Spartan, which in turn can be used to create your personal loadouts.
The newest addition to multiplayer (and thing that I’m looking forward to most) is this new game mode named “Spartan Ops”. These missions serve as your personal Spartan’s field missions away from Infinity. The game mode handles up to 4 players that play through an episodic campaign. Each week, free DLC is automatically uploaded to Spartan Ops and players gain new access to more missions and more unseen content. Each week includes cinematic cutscenes and 5 missions to play through. Playing these “episodes” allows players to level up and gain Spartan points which can be used in the main matchmaking. This game mode allows players to actually connect with their very own spartan and have a customized gaming experience.
Image courtesy of Gameinformer
I honestly can’t wait for this game. I played Halo Reach but like all games it just got old after a while and was overshadowed by new content. Halo 4 is packed with an entirely new campaign and an explosive and innovative multiplayer. Except this one to be on my shelf this holiday season.
All information and images courtesy of Gameinformer
Related articles
- 343 Industries details ‘Spartan Ops’ game mode (toiletfodder.wordpress.com)
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