First Look at Halo 4

[DoctorFinger]

It's not even St. Patrick's Day, and the holiday season is already getting a bit crowded. Today we get our first look at Halo 4 in this developer diary from 343 Studios. This time around Master Chief isn't just a stoic hero, he's the focus of the story, and as a result he's getting a shiny new character model. 343 also promises more originality on the multiplayer levels, instead of the recycled environments and narrative-less structure. Not a ton of info is revealed, but it's a nice teaser for things to come.

Expect Halo 4 this fall exclusively on the 360.

[ClannerDelta]

I have little to say, but "Kiki Wolfkill" is a fucking awesome name.

[Reverant]

Joystiq has some more information on the game. There'll be a progression system with class loadouts and unlocks. The cynic in me thinks MS wants to take back some of the CoD marketshare with Halo 4, and they'll do it by aping that series.

[CES]

Originally Posted by Reverant

Joystiq has some more information on the game. There'll be a progression system with class loadouts and unlocks. The cynic in me thinks MS wants to take back some of the CoD marketshare with Halo 4, and they'll do it by aping that series.

Both were in Reach.

Edit: Frankie might be Development Director here but he's still just a Scottish yob. Note the can of Tennants in the background.

[Zanzibar]

The worst news I saw from this is that Marty O'Donnell is not doing the music. They'll probably use some of the same themes from previous Halo titles but as we saw from Halo Wars it's a struggle to match music to the Halo world unless you're named Marty O'Donnell.

[Deadend]

I no longer enjoy Halo games, so I hope those that do are happy with this.
Just something about the core feel and look of the games that I can't enjoy at this point.

I still like the universe and story, I just hate playing them at this point.

[digitalErich]

Well, they sure did tell us how great Halo 4 will be.

[Widgetcraft]

Originally Posted by digitalErich

Well, they sure did tell us how great Halo 4 will be.

I thought I was just being an asshole when I thought that. It seems like every other statement was, "It's just like the old Halo, but way better, everything is better, this thing is going to be amazing." I mean, I know they're marketing their game here, but that was a bit grating after a while.

I have a bad feeling that this story is going to disappoint me. Just the fact that there will be shit like Warthogs and the Battle Rifle in it seems kind of odd to me, as I was expecting the Chief to wind up somewhere entirely new, possibly in some far flung future or alien world.

Originally Posted by Zanzibar

I tell ya, Halo 3 was the worst of the series in terms of single-player. Had a few cool moments but overall the level design was meh and the story was fucking awful.

I felt that Halo 2 was the worst in every single way. It felt like a total piece of shit. The only thing I liked about it at all was the Arbiter, and we didn't get to see enough of him, really. I think I would like a game based around an Elite, to see how the Covenant worked from the inside.

My Opinion: Halo > Reach > Halo 3 > Halo 2

I didn't play ODST.

[CES]

Originally Posted by Heretic Machine

I have a bad feeling that this story is going to disappoint me. Just the fact that there will be shit like Warthogs and the Battle Rifle in it seems kind of odd to me, as I was expecting the Chief to wind up somewhere entirely new, possibly in some far flung future or alien world.

If you remember the Legendary ending of H3 Chief is in stasis on the rear half of the Forward Unto Dawn which is the munitions/drop pod section of the ship. They wouldn't be lacking in guns and vehicles. The ending also implies he's floating to what looks to be a Shield World outside of the galaxy.

[Entropy]

I can never keep track of which games it's cool to rip on...is Halo one? I'd hate to be awkward guy in the thread that gives the game the benefit of the doubt.

I really enjoyed Halo Reach and Halo ODST. If this is more of the same then that's a good thing...this video seems like standard pre-release hype...not sure why I'm gonna hold this against them since for the most part the series has been enjoyable.

[digitalErich]

Nope, I still like Halo, at least for the single player and co-op. I haven't really played a Halo MP game past the first month of release since 2.

I was just giving this shit for talking this huge game while they show off renderings

[Wolvie]

Originally Posted by Krispy

Let me sum up this video for people who haven't seen it yet,

WE ARE MAKING HALO FUCKING EXTREME. EVERYTHING IS BIGGER. EVERYTHING IS BETTER. WE HAVE THOUSANDS OF ART ASSETS WE MADE. THIS SHIT IS FOR REAL.

This looks so desperate. Please think we are relevant!

This made me laugh. What does Bungie have that we don't? 343 is pretty too!!!

I love Halo, I do, but I am still not sold on 343 yet. I'll buy Halo 4(barring some horrendous reviews), but I'm not convinced about it yet. I hope it's good... but I got an feeling of uncertainty about it.

[Karak]

Originally Posted by Wolvie

This made me laugh. What does Bungie have that we don't? 343 is pretty too!!!

I love Halo, I do, but I am still not sold on 343 yet. I'll buy Halo 4(barring some horrendous reviews), but I'm not convinced about it yet. I hope it's good... but I got an feeling of uncertainty about it.

I have had a feeling of uncertainty for every single game I have ever bought. However, these games have notoriously rewarded me by maxing out the accounts in my funbank. I except the same here.

Also their team is insane, the number of fans working on it is great, I hope the director can keep them focused. I also love the push to original assets, which I am assuming will make sure that level to level there is higher variation.

[Wolvie]

Originally Posted by Karak

I have had a feeling of uncertainty for every single game I have ever bought. However, these games have notoriously rewarded me by maxing out the accounts in my funbank. I except the same here.

Also their team is insane, the number of fans working on it is great, I hope the director can keep them focused. I also love the push to original assets, which I am assuming will make sure that level to level there is higher variation.

And suddenly I feel better.

[Karak]

Originally Posted by Wolvie

And suddenly I feel better.

You should Besides if Halo 4 is something for people to bitch about...the world is in far more trouble than I already thought.

I don't have time for the cosmetic wars when there are real ones.

[bean]

The things that made Halo great back when the original came out are still the things that make modern FPS great: great story, music, voice-acting, tight controls, meaingful and fun vehicle sequences, fun weapons that have meaningful different mechanics from other weapons, and outstanding multiplayer (both co-op and versus).

Honestly, even though the formula hasn't change, there are many game developers who simply aren't able to deliver; the exceptions are most-often realistic shooters (CoD + BF3) that are hit-and-miss with their story-telling and who offer very short single-player campaigns due to a focus on multiplayer.

So if this gets great reviews AND is released on PC (not going to buy another Xbox 360 this late in the console cycle for ANY game), I'll be happy to play it.

[Karak]

Holy Christ 3:15-3:20 that audio!

Man alive. I can only hope that kind of thing is ingame.

[digitalErich]

It's also worth noting that this is PR for a game in a series with arguably the most famous ad campaign in the history of gaming.

Short of a Nolan directed short with a Dr. Who crossover, nerds are going to complain about adds for a new Halo.

[OldJadedGamer]

Meh, not a fan of when new devs take over established franchises and the Halo world is lost it's appeal to me. Halo 2 was awesome since there was nothing else like it at all on consoles but now there are bigger and better things and I just don't think the series holds up.

[MagGnome]

I still remember when Evil Avatar became Halo2Fansite.com for well over a year. I don't miss those days.

Zeal...where are you now?