Halo 4 Review

November 12, 2012 By 8 Comments

Sorry guys about the delay on the Halo 4 review. Honestly it’s just way too hard to stop playing it.

What it is: Halo 4 marks the return of the Master Chief and his faithful AI companion Cortana in the first Halo game not made by Bungie. 343 industries is now in charge of the series and for the first in a new trilogy they decided to take a more human look at the Chief as he faces Cortana’s inevitable deterioration. In the midst of this the two stumble onto a Forerunner planet, Requiem, and discover the dark secrets it holds.

Why I dig it: Where do I even start?

Before I jump in, I need to make it clear that while I may be considered a diehard Halo fan I didn’t come into this game expecting to love it automatically. A big part of my love for the franchise was the community that Bungie established on top of the in depth statistical analysis provided by bungie.net. It wasn’t just a game that 343 had to live up to but almost an empire.

With all that being said, 343 has more than lived up to what I had hoped for. From the story, to the multiplayer, to the support and the direction as a whole the game exceeds at ‘em all. As I have mentioned, the campaign kind of focuses on Cortana’s deterioration and this brings out a really human aspect in the game. The Master Chief has historically just been a very mechanical and cold bad ass soldier but this time around we get to see some emotional weakness in him as he struggles with losing Cortana.

Paired with this more involving story we get some of the most exciting and fun enemies in perhaps all of Halo history. The Prometheans are an enemy which spices up the story with a new challenge and the fact of the matter is that they bring something new to the combat table. The Crawlers are just a blast to unload into with head shot weapons and the Knights provide a new level of challenge and require the player to think about battle with them in a new way.

Thankfully the Prometheans are not restricted simply to the campaign but they also make their way into the new episodic Spartan Ops mode. Spartan Ops is made up of episodes that are released on a weekly basis. Each episode is accompanied with a short cinematic video and five chapters or missions for each player to play through. Spartan Ops is awesome. The single best thing about it is that it provides a narrative aspect of the game that will continue to draw people in long after they have completed that campaign. It is going to keep people coming back time and time again to see what is happening with the story. One of the cool aspects about Reach was that you were able to really create your Spartan and from there play with them through out every single game mode creating a more immersive experience. While we might be stepping into the boots of the Chief again this time instead of your own Spartans, Spartan Ops acts kind of like this mode where we get to be the Spartan.

Now the actual game play of Spartan Ops is decent but nothing amazing. Each chapter in episode one at least plays very similarly to a mission straight out of the campaign with one real exception: respawning. Normally in campaign at least upon death you restart at the latest checkpoint you hit but Spartan Ops does this a little differently. Upon death you simply respawn as you would in the multiplayer. You can rush two knights and kill one and get killed by the other and simply respawn and then dispatch of the other one. Things don’t reset upon death. The thing about this is that it makes these missions incredibly easy and provides us with little to no challenge. You are able to set the difficulty when starting a chapter but difficulty more or less just decides how many times you are going to die over the course of the mission instead of how much challenge is going to be presented to you. With all that being said there are quite a few Red vs. Blue easter eggs scattered throughout the mode that more than makes up for any of its down sides.

Now for the multiplayer. Oh my god the multiplayer.

Right off the bat I want to address some of the bigger alterations they made to the multiplayer. When it was first announced that custom load-outs were going to be added to the game, in addition to perks and ordinance drops everyone thought that Halo was becoming Call of Duty. While it might have gained inspiration from CoD among other FPSs out there the game still feels so much like Halo. At no point during multiplayer have I felt like this was anyway less Halo-y and more CoD-y. The load-outs really just allow players to start out with specific weapons that they would normally pick up along the way as well as fine tuning their Spartan to fit their play style. Other load-out based shooters provide players with a plethora of options allowing for a lot larger ranger of character designs i.e. shotgun classes, snipers, run ‘n gun, etc. but in Halo 4 it is much more focused. You aren’t able to design a completely broken class which you can destroy players with. This narrow range is absolutely perfect for Halo. It allows for variety among players while simultaneously allowing people to use the gear they want to use. It is a significantly superior upgrade from previous Halo games.

The ordnance was another point of concern of CoD mimicry in the game but ordnance doesn’t really fill the same role kill streaks did. Kill streaks were game changing events that were potentially devastating and again Halo has taken a much lessened approach. Ordinance is only dropping power weapons and brief custom power ups. The power weapons definitely give you an edge but they really just help perpetuate the game. Even if they give you a temporary advantage the fact of the matter is that for the most part they are all weapons that can be taken by enemy players as easily as allied players. Ultimately they just intensify the game in a completely fair manner as well as allowing players to choose the power weapons they stumbled onto into the late game.

The multiplayer also introduces a couple new game modes to the mix which both are amazing. The first is regicide, which is more or less free for all slayer and the leader has a mark over his or her head. The game plays like normal free for all but because of the cursor over the leader the game has a much more structured feel, almost a king of the hill kind of vibe. The king or leader draws everyone towards him or her providing everyone with a focused battle zone preventing things from getting slow and keeping the action coming.

The next is a new objective game type called Dominion which is one of my personal favorite playlist in the game so far. Dominion plays kind of like domination. Players try to capture key locations and then hold those areas as they become more fortified. A friend of mine kept comparing it to TF2 in the sense that each player really needs to take up different and specific roles if you want to be successful in the game. I am normally not much of an objective game kind of guy but I can’t seem to stop playing Dominion.

The entire time I was playing through Halo 4 I tried to remain as critical as possible so I would be able to identify any and all flaws but the thing is there really aren’t that many. The biggest complaint I have about the game is actually one that is entirely fixable and will probably be tweaked in the future but I found that Flood mode, the mode that I was most excited about, was a bit underwhelming. The problem I had with it was that 343 tried to make being infected less underpowered than being human and they did this perhaps too well. First off they nerfed the pistol. The pistol is normally a single shot to the head kill but they have replaced this with simply a three shot kill. In addition to the humans being weaker they gave the zombies some ridiculous armor abilities. The zombies are able to spawn in with a super ramped up thruster pack that can effectively take a zombie from one side of a map to the other in a matter of seconds. While they are using this ridiculous boost they are also still able to swipe with their flood claw removing the momentary safe zone that occurred when zombies rolled in Reach. On top of all of this they also cranked up the lunge distance for zombies ultimately making them the most powerful they have ever been.

It’s cool that they made being infected more bearable but the thing is that people don’t play zombies to infect as many people as possible. People play zombies because they enjoy lasting as long as they can, killing and wrecking zombies as they go. In previous infection modes you see players ending games with as high of score as 30 but here the highest score I have seen someone get is in the teens. This is my single biggest complaint about the game but like I said, a playlist update or two is all that is needed to really fix this and maybe it is a little counterintuitive complaining about how 343 made a game mode more fair.

The only other complaints I have about Halo 4 are all little nitpicky things which really don’t hinder the actual game playing experience. For example, the in game score chart is a little confusing at times in the sense that it is a little tricky figuring out how many kills you have in comparison to points. The only other notable complaint was the pre-game multiplayer lobby which is a tad confusing to navigate compared to previous games.

Other than that the game is incredible. While the game has seen many renovations, many non-traditional Halo changes, the game still feels like Halo. Its finds that perfect middle ground of new and familiar. I have thoroughly enjoyed ever single game mode I have tried so far with the exclusion of zombies which still isn’t terrible. So many things have been streamlined and while I have a couple complaints about how things are they have fixed an innumerable amount of complaints I have had about previous Halo games. I would argue that the campaign is the strongest story and narrative experience in a Halo game to date and the multiplayer is unmatched in its glory. All of this comes packaged in the best looking and sounding Halo game out there. While I have yet to fully explore all the juicy tib bits in forge I am familiar with quite a few of its features and I am sure that the potential maps that it offers will keep the game fresh and interesting for years to come.

Bungie left some big shoes for 343 to fill and they more than exceeded in doing so. Halo 4 is the definitive Halo experience and the single best installment in series to date. The franchise has been passed to more than worthy hands. I give Halo 4 a 5/5.

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Binary and Incineration

September 26, 2012 By 1 Comment

No such thing as too much Halo news.

343 earlier today released the final video showing off the weapons of Halo 4. Now we have already seen the Covenant and Human weapons but now we have been given the Promethean weapons and they look incredible.

 

Now while all of the weapons shown off here are new weapons several really are more or less the same guns we have been using for years. The Scattershot really is just a cooler shotgun, the Suppressor an underpowered AR. Heck, even the Incineration Cannon projectiles bounce and appear to do very comparable damage to the Fuel Rod Cannon. Now while all of these weapons are a little underwhelming the rest of the arsenal is a bit more appealing.

 

The Light Rifle appears to be the Promethean mid-range rifle but there is something that sets it apart from the other headshot weapons in the game. Unscoped it functions a bit like a more robust version of the Carbine but scoped in it steps things up a notch. Zooming in switches to the Light Rifle’s secondary fire which packs a bit more punch. Zoomed in you shoot a little bit slower but you do a bit more damage. The variation between modes of fire is definitely going to make this weapon worth picking up, especially if you aim for the face.

Speaking of headshots, the Bolt Shot looks incredible. It looks like 343 took the Magnum and smushed a Plasma Pistol into it. This new handgun is not only powerful and capable of headshots but it doesn’t stop there. Like the Light Rifle the Bolt Shot also has an alternative fire which looks similar to the Plasma Pistol in the sense that you are able to fire an overcharged blast. Unlike the overcharged Plasma Pistol which only takes out an opponent’s shield the overcharged Bolt Shot looks more or less like a shotgun burst. So a pistol I can headshot enemies with as well as blast with a single shot at close range is more than enough to sell me on it. My fingers are crossed that this is going to be available as a selectable secondary weapon.

File:Binary rifle cropped.png

I think the Promethean’s have gotten it right as far as precision weapons go. Ok so we have another sniper but this one kicks a bit more ass than the rest of them. First off from the footage gleamed, it at least appears to be a one shot kill regardless of where you hit your target. The Sniper Rifle and Beam Rifle are capable of one shot kills if you hit your target’s head with that first shot. With the Binary Rifle you are looking at a dead enemy if you manage to hit them in the toe. Admittedly, it does only have a two shot magazine and only looks capable of holding four shots in total but being able to kill anyone with one shot is the kind of power I am drawn to in a weapon and despite that small magazine I am definitely going to be getting my monies worth with the Binary Rifle.

The Prometheans are bringing the most new toys to the table and while some are simply old guns with a sleek make over the rest look like they are going to be packing quite a punch. Not only are they visually striking but the weapons have found a beautiful balance between being familiar and pushing the Halo arsenal’s boundaries to the point that Halo 4’s War Games are going to be absolutely phenomenal.

Be sure to pick up Halo 4 on November 6th and stay tuned to Powercords for all of your Halo 4 news!

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Who are the Prometheans?

September 12, 2012 By 4 Comments

343 has once again released new vi-doc on Halo Waypoint about the creation process of the Prometheans, the new enemy class in the upcoming Halo 4. The video details what exactly 343 wanted to achieve with the new enemies and what some of the major influences were that went into the design. They don’t only talk about the enemy but their weapons as well the Prometheans creators, the Forerunners. Amidst all of the new information is quite of bit of new footage of the game, both cinematic sequences and actual gameplay. So with that being said check out the video below!

 

So I am incredibly excited to get to finally face off against these bad boys in less than two months now. The new weapons look incredible but I am little worried that they are going to lead to me excessively bouncing back and forth between weapons simply to get to see the weapons come together in your hands. Definitely going to be a problem.  Oh well.

Be sure to check out Powercords for all your Halo 4 and video game news!

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The Humanity of Halo 4

September 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

A couple days ago Halo Waypoint released new video titled Halo 4: A Hero Awakens Behind the Scenes. The video goes over how one of the main objectives of Halo 4 and this upcoming trilogy was to really focus on the emotional and human aspects of the chief. In the past we have seen him blow up rings and spaceships and be your standard action hero bad ass but this time around it looks like 343 really wants to evoke more of an emotional response from the audience. The video discusses how they went about doing this as well as introducing us to the team responsible for making the Chief and Cortana who they are today.

While the video is on the longer side I definitely felt that it was worth ten minutes of my life. Check it out below!

Also, if none of this seems appealing to you, it might interest you that there is some footage of an elite trying to bite off Master Chief’s face. It’s awesome.

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Halo Mechs?

August 21, 2012 By 6 Comments

First off I would like to apologize for all of the Halo 4 spam but a lot of exciting Halo happenings have been, well, happening. Halo Waypoint recently posted a new video earlier today titled the Magic of Halo 4 and it shows off lots of behind the scenes footage showing off how making this game has been a lot like making a blockbuster film. Throughout the short video of programmers programming and artists arting (it’s now word) are little blips of footage from the actual game. Right around the 2 minutes and twenty second mark we catch a glimpse of potentially the most exciting Halo innovation to date. Check it out below!

 

Now that sure as hell looks like a mech if I ever saw one.

Now at this point this is mostly speculation but it really does seem like that is what the future holds. Reach set the bar high with innovation with the campaign only space flight mission and perhaps 343 is looking to match that with giant battling robots, an alternative I am very ok with. If indeed mechs are going to make an appearance in the series my fingers are crossed that they are not limited to only campaign usage but that we will be able to kill our friends online with them as well. So do you think we are going to get mechs in Halo 4? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

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New Halo 4 Weapons

August 8, 2012 By 1 Comment

Halo Waypoint released two new videos showing off the UNSC weapons that will be playable in Halo 4. Both videos are visually the same but one has no song playing to show off how the new boom sticks sound. The video also shows off more of the new weapon the Sticky Detonator which seems to really just be a revamped Grenade Launcher from Reach with the exception that the grenades now stick to things.

The video also showed off how the new weapons are going to sound which is significantly different than their Reach counter parts. The upgraded sounds sound much more robust than earlier versions and to quote Brendan, they “fucking sound like they’ll tear your arm off if you pull the trigger.” Some of the heavier weapons all have a metallic twang of reverberating steel upon fire which just gets me amped for the inevitable snipers playlist.

Now perhaps the single most exciting aspect of the video is that it also debuts two brand new weapons which up until now have been flying under the radar: The SAW and the Railgun.

The SAW is a new automatic rifle that at a quick glance seems like a new version of the SMG due to its faster rate of fire. In Halo 3 Bungie discovered how the SMG became kind of a redundant and unused weapon when the Assault Rifle was also present so I am hoping this doesn’t turn out to be more or less a new SMG. The look of the SAW looks a little on the heavy side and it appeared that the reticule bloom from the weapon was minimal so perhaps this actually a power weapon, kind of a Light Machine Gun kind of thing. My fingers are crossed that it turns out to be more of a LMG than SMG. Either way I am curious as to whether or not it will be one of the weapons that we will be able to use in our custom load outs for multiplayer matchmaking.

While the nature of the SAW is debatable the Raligun is definitely a power weapon. The Railgun appears to be more or less a mini Splaser or rather one with a much shorter range. The video shows off how like the Spartan Laser you are going to charging up a blast that you will then proceed to kill every one with. We also see from the video that the Railgun is considered a short to medium range weapon and that you will only be getting around five shots with it before swapping it out for something else. The Railgun to me feels a lot both visually and functionally like the offspring of the Shotgun and Splaser.

I am incredibly stoked to see that 343 was not hesitating when it came to adding new gear to the already familiar repertoire of weaponry. The release of this video also has me hoping that we will soon be watching similar videos for both the Covenant and Promethean weaponry. With that being said check out the video below!

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My Dream Halo

June 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Halo 4 is going to be a completely new and refreshing Halo experience and words cannot describe my excitement for it.

E3 really demonstrated how awesome the campaign is going to be, but the thing is that the campaign is a game mode that you will realistically only be getting around fifteen to twenty hours out of. The real meat of the game is the multiplayer which looks absolutely amazing.

The entirety of Bungie’s Halo games followed the same format when it came to competitive multiplayer. Everyone starts out in the same position with the same weapons and then it was a mad dash to the power weapons which were always located at a specific and exact location. This was always one of the biggest differentiations among Halo and its competitors which all followed a more load-out based style with little emphasis on picking up new weapons.

Halo was the first game I really fell in love with, and I had always been a die-hard fan who turned his nose up at Call of Duty, Battlefield and all other popular first person shooters out there. I always felt Halo was the superior game because of the lack of load-outs and absence of rewards for playing well. At that point at least, Halo was a game about skill. If you did well in Halo it was because you played better than everyone else. It wasn’t because you got that awesome kill streak that turned the tables and it wasn’t because of that awesome gun you had just unlocked for hitting the max level. Halo felt so much better to me because everyone started the match on the same footing and everyone had equal access to all the powerful weapons. It didn’t matter how much you had played and how much you had unlocked.

After years of shying away from other shooters to play Halo instead I finally started to play a few other FPSs, primarily Call of Duty. After spending a good amount of time with several installments in the series I realized my immediate conclusion about load-out based shooters was definitely wrong. While there definitely was some level of unfairness due to the weapons one was starting with the advantages of a custom made load-out were almost immediately clear to me. Load-outs made the game better. Not only do they let a player choose and customize the weapons they enter into battle with but it ultimately lets the players customize the way they play the game and makes for better fitting set ups. The little bit of unfairness that was presented was more than made up for by the vast amount of variation and diversity it brought to the table. I had always thought of Halo being more bare bones and vanilla and I had come to the conclusion that load-out based shooters were much more double fudge brownie with chocolate chip cookie dough i.e. more complicated and well designed. Load-outs essentially add an RPG aspect to a FPSs which allows for the player to become more involved with their character.

Now even after learning of the glory of Call of Duty I still loved my Halo games more, but I now held a new found respect for other shooters and I wanted to see Bungie take a few notes from those other games. I didn’t want them to necessarily turn Halo into Call of Duty but rather take note of the things they did well and incorporate similar aspects into Halo.

When Halo Reach was released I was incredibly excited to see the introduction of load-outs to the series. The way Bungie incorporated load-outs into Halo allowed for some diversity among matches but in a way which was still incredibly balanced and fair (perhaps with the exclusion of Armor Lock) while also retaining the original format and play style of rush-to-the-power-weapons the game had developed over the years. But with that being said this new change to the series was still not exactly what I had been hoping for. The load-outs increased diversity but they were still significantly less intricate than other games and the excessive amount of customization was all only cosmetic. Instead of becoming a loosely load-out based game it became a loosely class-based shooter. Reach was able to boast of increased customization and load-outs but the game was still lacking the diversity and customization of play style that made COD great. My vision of the perfect Halo game had taken a step in the right direction but still wasn’t there.

And then information and details about Halo 4 started to be released. 343’s Halo 4 looks like the perfect Halo game I have been fantasizing about since first playing COD. Halo 4 looks like my dream Halo.

The first and foremost aspect of the upcoming shooter which I am stoked on is the return of load-outs. 343 has completely dumped Bungie’s set up and instead taken a more Call of Duty-esque approach. Halo 4 as of now is set so that every player will be able to design and customize their own load-outs in addition to lots of options on beautifying their Spartan. This means that you are able to choose what weapon and grenades you want to start with as well as other abilities such as Promethean/Forerunner Vision, turbo, Hardlight Shield, etc.. Another exciting aspect of this is that the customization goes deeper than that.

From the videos I have watched of the Halo 4 Multiplayer I have caught several glimpses of the load out screen and it looks like we are going to be getting two additional non-armor ability abilities we can add onto our character. While details about these abilities are still pretty hush hush I have heard during interviews with the developers that these abilities will be along the lines of being able to get infinite sprint. This was more than I had been hoping for. Players now get to choose their primary weapon, secondary weapon, grenade type, armor ability, perhaps ordinance options, and then two abilities. The additions of abilities now give players that many more options in which they can tune their Spartan so that it is ideal for them. In previous Halo games the only real defining characteristic between players was their armor but now with the addition of load-outs we are going to be seeing so much more diversity among players.

Perhaps you can’t tell from the picture but selected load-out shows reads from left to right the primary, armor ability, secondary, grenade type, and then two abilties. Both loadouts share the mobility ability but one is using fire power and the other is using shielding

Another COD aspect which 343 is introducing to the game is ordinance drops or killstreak rewards. Now players will be able to call in support after getting several kills in the form of a powerful weapon or a custom power up. This is an opportunity to grab that sniper rifle that your teammate has been hoarding all game or get yourself that speed boost so you can more effectively grab the enemy flag. 343 has done a pretty sweet job of making sure that this isn’t an aspect of the game which will be abused. From the footage I have seen it appears that players get ordinance points for kills and you don’t lose these points after dying. So even if you are playing poorly and have a terrible KD you are still going to be able to get that drop and perhaps turn things around. Another thing is that you have to call in these ordinance drops meaning that there is a time period where your drop could be snagged from you. While this is definitely an irritating downside it is an important one. Killstreaks in COD are one of the things that have made gameplay a little unfair in the past and it is clear that 343 is aware of that. By delaying the delivery of the ordinance they are giving the system a necessary weak point preventing it from being abused all while incorporating a new mechanic which will hopefully prevent camping and lead to more exciting play.

So a big thing that has come along with the announcements of ordinance is that weapons will be dropped in ordinance style. A lot of people have heard this and interpreted it as “there is no rocket, sniper or shotgun spawn,” and that these weapons will be dropped at random places always. A lot of people have heard this and hated the idea because that means we are going to be seeing the abolishment of that traditional Halo style of mad dash to the power weapons and then proceeding to hold that location. While it is arguable that this would be a good thing for the series I don’t think this is what we are going to be seeing. Halo 4’s War Games (multiplayer) Head Designer, Kevin Franklin has described these weapons being dropped in “classic Halo style, as you can imagine, this is very predictable, the same ones will be going everytime,” leading me to believe that that Halo style we have all grown to love isn’t being ditched so quickly. The way Franklin described it made it sound like weapons will at the very least be getting dropped in to the same spot in the beginning of the game but perhaps not later in the game.

Halo 4 is the biggest change to the Halo series we have probably ever seen (with the exclusion of Halo Wars) but the amazing thing is that it still looks like Halo. Even with the addition of load-outs and ordinance players are still going to hauling ass to the sniper spawn. Even behind those shiny new graphics, beautiful new sounds, and gorgeous visual upgrade it still looks and sounds like Halo. Despite all of these new weapons and abilities we still have our Battle Rifle and we have a pistol with a scope; we have the weapons that make Halo, Halo. While Halo 4 might be the most drastically different from Halo: Combat Evolved it still holds onto everything that makes it Halo.

So we have seen that 343 has the prowess to make the Halo game we need but they are also giving us the Halo game we want. On top of all of the necessary things to improve gameplay and keep the series fresh they are also giving us  players all of the tiny things that makes Halo just so much fun.

First off are assassinations. Reach showed us just how fantastic it was being able to initiate a sweet cut scene for when we were able to assassinate one of our buddies and Halo 4 is running with that concept. Not only have 343 greatly expanded the amount of animations for assassinations but they also upped the amount of ways you can trigger one. While details on this are still not completely clear it looks like we are going to be able to perform assassinations from the front and sides now as well as the back given we are able to sneak up on the target in the appropriate way. Assassinations have never been a good idea to do. Performing one leaves one vulnerable for several seconds which is significantly inferior to the fast and clean instant kill punch to the back. But despite that fact, everyone always does them even if it means vulnerability or even death. Assassinations are ridiculously fun to do and it is a facet of the game which may be unnecessary but is absolutely awesome. 343 definitely recognized this and thus greatly expanded on this purely fun aspect of the game.

343’s dedication to making a fun Halo doesn’t just end there. They are also greatly expanding on the already vast cosmetic adjustments one may make to their Spartan. Like assassinations, this is a facet of the game which really isn’t all that important but was fun to do and really let a player become more involved with the game. The last thing I wanted to mention is the Scattershot. The Scattershot is the new Promethean shotgun and the thing is, it really is just a shotgun. After watching more and more videos of it being used it is pretty clear that is power level is exactly on par with your standard shotgun. With that being said the Scattershot looks like it is going to be so much more fun. From the cool way you pick it up to crimson inferno it fires to the ember like disintegration it produces, the Scattershot is going to be so much fun to use, even if it really is just the shotgun in the disguise. Once again, this is an unnecessary update but one that is going to lead to a more fun game.

Halo 4 is going to be best Halo game ever[editor's note -- this is a factual statement]. 343 has built on everything that Bungie has established in a beautiful and innovative way leading to a rejuvenated Halo that is in fact still Halo. In addition to giving the game everything it really needed to be the best it could be, 343 also gave it a big dash of fun and everything the community wanted. Did I also mention that Armor Lock isn’t showing up again? I guess all I am really trying to say is that I am really excited about this game. Halo 4 is my dream Halo

So what do you guys think about the game so far? How do you feel about the load-outs? What do you think some of the new abilities are going to be? Have you pre-ordered your copy yet?! I want to hear all of your thoughts so be sure to let me know in the comments below!

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Halo 4 Demo and Discussion

June 5, 2012 By 4 Comments

The first day of E3 kicked things off right. Amidst all of the beautiful and exciting new games that were shown off today, one in particular caught my eye: Halo 4.

Being a long time Bungie Halo fan I had kind of said good bye to this much beloved franchise of mine. I knew 343 would do a fine job with the series but it wouldn’t be same without the Bungie community I had grown to love and had become a part of over the years. When Bungie departed Halo it felt like my parents had just had a divorce and 343 was my new step-parent. So with that in mind I set out to end my Halo career with Reach and savor what I thought would be my last Halo game.

But as time progressed and Halo 4 details started to leak out I found myself once again become enthralled in the series I had spent way too much of my life playing. I had come to love and accept my new step-parent. And with the demo today during E3 I find my passion for the game as strong as ever.

The first thirty seconds of the demo had me sold. The demo starts out with a short cinematic that surprisingly reminiscent of the 2007 Halo 3 E3 trailer and from there proceeds to game play in a dark jungle again drawing connections to the first level of Halo 3. Seeing this and watching the Chief move through the underbrush once again with the Battle Rifle in hand and hearing Cortana guide him comforted me by really demonstrating that this was the franchise I loved so much. While significantly more stunning and beautiful than the prior games it definitely was still Halo. We quickly see him encounter and dispatch of some covenant in some stylish new garb and my spirits absolutely soared when the Elite bellowed out an all too familiar “wort, wort, wort”.

But building a game that was still Halo wasn’t all 343 set out to do. The old trilogy had come to a conclusion and it is time for something new in the series. Right off the get go you can tell it’s a new and different game. The opening cinematic shows off Master Chief’s new armor better than ever and what once looked foreign and different now looks absolutely bad ass and fitting. The enemies, the world around him, and the HUD all looked smoother and sleeker, cleaner and more detailed. It all maintained that Halo style and feel while moving forward and progressing the game. The design and visuals aren’t all that’s new in the game though.

Words can’t explain how excited I am to bust heads the BR once again

The Chief trudges on and quickly encounters the games new enemies. The new enemies are Forerunner technology, AI defense systems with golden lights and hues to perfectly contrast the Covenants neon purples. These first enemies he encounters are clearly the weaker of the bunch, reminiscent of small robot dogs, all easily disposed and not that intimidating. As he starts mowing down a second wave I started thinking these guys don’t pose much of a challenge, these have got to be the Grunts of the new enemy type.

But what about the Elites? Almost on cue, the Elite unit drops in. You don’t get too close of a look at it before this large and terrifying unit opens up its face to reveal a molten gold skull and roars in your face. Intimidation and challenge were lacking in the smaller enemies but it is not the case here. As you proceed to battle this new beast you quickly realize that this is a completely new enemy that requires a completely new attack plan. These golden AI are equipped with powerful golden lasers (which the Chief is able to wield) and are able to teleport and move incredibly fast. If this wasn’t enough, they are also able to dispatch a flying unit which assists them in raining fire down upon you, shielding the enemy, calling in more bad guys, and throwing the grenades you lob at it right back in your face.

As Brendan mentioned in his E3 Day 1 Wrap Up these new enemies and the games new style at this point are incredibly reminiscent of Metroid. The best way to describe the new Elite unit would be to call it a Space Pirate mixed with a bit of Crysis’ Ceph and topped off with some golden hues. The other new AI enemies as well seem like something straight out a Metroid game. In no way is this a bad thing though. Metroid did an incredible job designing its enemies and seeing that in the Halo 4’s new antagonists provides us with a small sense of familiarity in this terrifying yet foreign enemy.

The similarities to Metroid continue as the demo comes to the end seeing the countless enemy AI swarm upon him through a green mist with the aid of his new thermal visor. We have seen enhanced visors in Halo before but not of this complexity and intricacy.  This will also be the first time this useful tool will be available in multi-player.

I came into this E3 with mild interest in Halo 4 but after day 1 I am leaving with an excitement for Halo 4 that I have become all too familiar with prior to a Halo release. All of my doubts in 343 were thrown right out the window. In this 5 minute demo 343 have shown that they were able to make new game that is still 100% Halo while still adding enough new things in to spice things up. This is hands down the prettiest of all Halo games to date and the new enemies look like they are going to be some of the most terrifying yet the most fun to hit the series in quite some time. Getting a glimpse of the Chiefs new visor and arsenal have got me itching to lay some fiery golden lasers into some Covenant and AI faces alike. I came into this demo biased and with unrealistically high expectations and came away absolutely stunned and blown away. I am absolutely stoked for Halo 4 in a way I haven’t been in quite some time.

Check out the demo below!

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