Cortana: Wake up, John! Chief!
Master Chief: I'm here.
Halo 4 continues the story of the Master Chief in the
Halo franchise (actually the seventh official game, three others tell side-stories not involving MC). Drifting through space and
in hibernation, the Master Chief is woken up by Cortana and they engage on a new adventure involving a previously unknown enemy. The second trilogy has been
officially
named "The Reclaimer Trilogy".
The first trailer for the game was shown at the end of Microsoft's E3 2011 press conference. It is stated for a Holiday 2012 release and is the second game not to be developed by Bungie Studios (the first being Ensemble Studios'
Halo Wars), but 343 Industries who have taken the reins since Bungie finished their run with
Halo: Reach.
The trailer can be viewed
here. In the same vein as
Halo 3's cinematic trailer, the guys at 343 have said that the events depicted likely won't happen that way in-game (although new elements like
Master Chief's armor changing while he was supposedly in cryo were intended and will be explained... eventually).
343 Industries released a
First Look showing off the new SPARTAN IV armor for multiplayer, the updated Battle Rifle, hints that the
Big Bad will be even
more threatening than the Halo rings, the new music score and a title sequence that strongly hints at a cybernetic Forerunner
Big Bad. Microsoft has hinted in the release date announcement "Master Chief returns to confront his destiny and face
an ancient evil that threatens the fate of the entire universe."
The game officially will be
released on November 6, 2012, and will take place four years after the events of
Halo 3.
Halo 4 provides examples of:
- Abusive Precursors: Regardless of who it is, Master Chief will be battling "an ancient evil".
- A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Cortana is getting to the stage at which she is in danger of going rampant, and that will be explored.
- Call Back: The last thing Master Chief said to Cortana before going into cryogenic sleep in Halo 3 was "Wake me if you need me." The Halo 4 trailer has Cortana repeatedly calling out, "Chief, I need you!"
- Character Development: 343 Industries has confirmed that John-117 has changed psychologically during his long cryosleep.
- Female Gaze: One of the most cited changes to Chief's armor is the loss of its codpiece. Yeah, very uncomfortable for those who aren't into the view. Those that are...
- Frank O'Connor reports that was an issue with rendering, and not an intentional action. But hey, who knows, who cares?
- Hand Cannon: While the pistols of Halo are well known for being more effective than the Assault Rifles, the trailer features a muzzle-loaded sidearm that the Chief uses to blow open a door - likely a handheld grenade launcher.
- But since the Grenade Launcher in Halo: Reach is very distinctive from the pistol John picks up, it's more likely functioning like a Rifle Grenade
- It's probably only a hand cannon for giant armored cyborgs. Shrink Chief by a foot, keep the weapon the same size and extend the stock, and it'd look like a pretty normal weapon. The art of Halo book explicitly mentions that this was deliberate with the SMG in Halo 2, in order to make it look like an SMG when Marines used it with the stock extended and a Machine Pistol when Chief had it's stocks collapsed.
- I Knew It: Once Microsoft set Bungie free and created 343 Industries, fan theories focused around a Combat Evolved remake or this. Turns out we got both.
- Oh Crap: Remember that planet in the legendary ending of Halo 3? The one with all the Forerunner symbols that could be seen from orbit? Turns out it's still inhabited. And it's hostile.
- Everyone who studied Halo's expanded universe were probably less surprised about the planet.
- Meta-example: the game's creative director left the project about two months after it was announced. Fanboy cynicism has hit new highs.
- Scenery Porn: The Forerunner planet at the end of the trailer, continuing a proud tradition of the Halo games. Looks a lot like a fancy Unicron.
- Sealed Badass in a Can: How the Master Chief starts the game.
- Super Soldier: In addition to The Chief, Spartan IVs have been briefly alluded to being present in at least multiplayer, having first been mentioned at the conclusion of Halo Glasslands.
- Trilogy Creep: Since Bungie never intended to go past a third game themselves. According to 343 Industries, this will be the start of a whole new trilogy, which means we can expect the series to go up to Halo 6, which means assuming there will be no other games (laughable at best, the Halo franchise is one of Microsoft's only franchises with huge recognition) there will be 9 games total.
- Took a Third Option: A good number of fans were disappointed when the DMR replaced the Battle Rifle in Reach, but it had its fans; on the other hand, the Battle Rifle has been praised as the "signature" weapon of Halo (really, they're almost identical; Rule Of Cool is the only solid argument in the BR's favor). Instead of choosing one over the other, 343's solution was to add both in the next game.
0 reviews