Dated - Halo 4

[DoctorFinger]

Microsoft and 343 Studios have announced that Halo 4 will be released on November 6 on the 360. Please make a note of it.

For the Halo junkies out there, Game Informer has begun rolling out a look at some of the changes coming to the versus multiplayer modes. Competitive MP will introduce a persistent XP system which lets you upgrade your armor for new perks and abilities. They'll be revealing more about the co-op modes later this week.

[Karak]

As a fan of the chief and the overall Halo universe I am interested to see what direction they take it in.

[Reverant]

I just want to see more of Master Chief's story.

Edit: And the Arbiter. Halo 2 was awesome!

[Squidbot]

I'm so torn

[Karak]

Originally Posted by Reverant

I just want to see more of Master Chief's story.

Edit: And the Arbiter. Halo 2 was awesome!

I do as well. I am actually interested in that character and the worlds. I am a sucker for stories where the main character feels a sense of duty to others despite anything he himself may go through.

[Reverant]

I hope we get a re-release of 2 so I can replay the entire first trilogy in HD.

You know what I could get behind? Being sold half the game. I won't play Halo 4's MP. I just want the story. SELL ME THE SINGLE PLAYER-ONLY VERSION!

[GunnyMo]

Originally Posted by Reverant

I hope we get a re-release of 2 so I can replay the entire first trilogy in HD!

That is my thinking exactly. 343 did an amazing job with Halo HD.

Halo is still one of my all time favorites. The soundtrack brings so many memories alone.

My baby's mamma picked up the Halo Encyclopedia for me. Love it.

[Zanzibar]

I never understood the hate against playing as the Arbiter. My jaw dropped when the screen when white on his closeup and it resolved to me playing as him.

There were lots of elements of H2 I didn't enjoy as much, but the whole story arc was awesome right up until the (lack of an) ending.

EDIT: Although I wasn't a fan of the Gravemind's design. Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors sued for defamation.

[Reverant]

I liked the Arbiter a great deal, and the fact that he was moved to the sidekick role in 3 makes Halo 2 a very unique specimen in the series. I wasn't even upset by the ending. Maybe I love 2 because it seems to have pissed the most people off.

So is 4 going to tie into those (awful) books at all? I remember there being a new/other squad of spartans dicking around on a fake planet.

[MosBen]

Honestly, I think the shine is off the apple a bit for me with the Halo franchise. I loved it when it first came out, but by the time 3 came out I was kind of underwhelmed by the story they were telling. I thought Reach did a much better job with story telling. And while I loved playing multiplayer in college, my interest in that area has dropped off precipitously since I stopped having time to be even passably good at it, let alone really skilled.

That said, nostalgia for the series might be enough to get me onboard, especially if the co-op is supposed to be good.

[MalReynolds]

just so you know Halo anniversary wasnt done by 343... at least the coding wasn't..

Saber Interactive did the Singleplayer but were checked over by 343
and the MP was Certain Affinity

[Primus]

Originally Posted by MosBen

Honestly, I think the shine is off the apple a bit for me with the Halo franchise. I loved it when it first came out, but by the time 3 came out I was kind of underwhelmed by the story they were telling. I thought Reach did a much better job with story telling. And while I loved playing multiplayer in college, my interest in that area has dropped off precipitously since I stopped having time to be even passably good at it, let alone really skilled.

That said, nostalgia for the series might be enough to get me onboard, especially if the co-op is supposed to be good.

Thats kind of how I feel. It was great FPS for its time, it is a legendary franchise in the history of gaming, but I have moved on. It's like Doom, Goldeneye, Unreal, 1942, COD etc. It had its time and place, time to move on to the next thing as technology advances. They will really have to revamp things for me to jump in head first like I did with the first three. the FPS genre in general is stagnant as fuck, I don't think 343 is going to reinvent the wheel either.

I never play for story, so that won't draw me in either.

[MosBen]

Primus, Goldeneye is a perfect example for me. I played the living hell out of that game in high school, but in retrospect that game just doesn't have much going for it anymore beyond nostalgia. Halo was a revelation when I played it in college. It did such a great job of putting you into what seemed like a massive, epic conflict, and its controls made FPS easy to play on a console. But by the time Halo 2 came out I was caring less about multiplayer and more about having a fun narrative experience in my games, and while there were some cool things going on, the story was, I thought, kind of sloppy. Then Halo 3 came out and it felt like I was sleep walking to the end of the story.

Reach did a much better job of creating distinct characters that had personality, and just generally did a good job of making me care about what was happening. Here's hoping that the new trilogy they're starting with Halo 4 is compelling.

[EternalGamer]

Unless I see something truly original, they aren't suckering me again.

Turning Halo into an annual franchise the last five years has been bullshit. I've bought every one and was dissapointed in how completely unimaginative and undaring it was. I basically bought Halo 1 five times.

I appreciate that this is 343's first shot at a game and I hope they really do something original with the license where Bungie's incompetancy and lack of creative vision couldn't. This trailer, though, didn't give me any indication one way or the other. It was just a bunch of people saying "This Halo will be bestest" with no specific vision other than "more stuff."

[Chris_D]

I quite enjoyed ODST but I still have Reach on my backlog so in no hurry for another Halo right now.

[Wolvie]

Looks good! 343 at least nailed the look of Halo. Let's hope they nail the game-play.

Originally Posted by MosBen

Honestly, I think the shine is off the apple a bit for me with the Halo franchise. I loved it when it first came out, but by the time 3 came out I was kind of underwhelmed by the story they were telling. I thought Reach did a much better job with story telling. And while I loved playing multiplayer in college, my interest in that area has dropped off precipitously since I stopped having time to be even passably good at it, let alone really skilled.

That said, nostalgia for the series might be enough to get me onboard, especially if the co-op is supposed to be good.

I actually feel the same way. After Bungie left, it's like my heart went with them. It's like Halo is a girl, one I love, and then she's been replaced this new girl, a clone of the original. Everyone is telling me it'll be fine, and that this new girl will be just as good. But it just doesn't seem like it can be the same. I guess we'll see how she shags in bed, maybe we'll be able to make it work if she's good.

[Karak]

Originally Posted by Wolvie

Looks good! 343 at least nailed the look of Halo. Let's hope they nail the game-play.



I actually feel the same way. After Bungie left, it's like my heart went with them. It's like Halo is a girl, one I love, and then she's been replaced this new girl, a clone of the original. Everyone is telling me it'll be fine, and that this new girl will be just as good. But it just doesn't seem like it can be the same. I guess we'll see how she shags in bed, maybe we'll be able to make it work if she's good.

For me I am hoping she is a better girl. Halo had some stuff it could improve and with that team my hopes is that they augment and improve. If so its a keeper. Nothing has ever come close to the sandbox style AI in those games and if they nail it with a good badguy, some good setpieces, same style of music, I am there with bells on.

[Wolvie]

Originally Posted by Karak

For me I am hoping she is a better girl. Halo had some stuff it could improve and with that team my hopes is that they augment and improve. If so its a keeper. Nothing has ever come close to the sandbox style AI in those games and if they nail it with a good badguy, some good setpieces, same style of music, I am there with bells on.

I agree completely. I will have every part of my body crossed(including my eyes) until Halo 4 comes out, hoping it will live up to the awesomeness that was Halo CE and Reach.

[MalReynolds]

I loved ODST even thought it was a little short

[Reverant]

I'm going to have to find a copy of ODST. I skipped it completely.