Saturday, April 7, 2012

According to subscribers on NeoGAF, the mag confirms the 343-developed Halo sequel will ditch the traditional Firefight mode for 4-player campaign co-op and new Call of Duty 'Spec Ops' style missions. See the full details (in their words) below.
Spartan Points
-Spartan Points is the new currency system in Halo 4. They will buy things such as armor, armor abilities, Spartan Ops missions (see below), and some
Spartan Ops
-This was probably my most favorite addition I saw. From how it was described, think fo Spartan Ops like Spec Ops from Modern Warfare but with a storyline. They will span out over several months, encouraging players to return to the game. Game Informer said that Spartan Ops will be comparable in scope and size to the in single-player storyline.
Why Reds Fight Blues
-I think most of us probably guessed this, but reds fight blues and blues fight reds for training purposes. They fight in something called the UNSC Infinity. The UNSC Infinity is a 3km long ship sent into deep space on a mission. It contains a virtual reality sector that creates the multiplayer experience.
Sprint
-So not only is sprint in the game, but it is a standard armor ability. You do not need to pick it up, it will always be available. You do not need to buy it with your Spartan Points, you will always have it equipped no matter what. So essentially, you can have two armor abilities.
Forerunner Vision
-Ever wanted to be super man? Now you can! See through walls with your x-ray vision! I can't say I hate this armor ability, I haven't used it yet. I'm hoping it comes with its weaknesses and it discourages camping. Sorry guys, but camping in Halo 4 will not be a legitimate tactic.
Returning Armor Abilities
-The hologram, jetpack, and active camo will make a return in Halo 4. It didn't elaborate on the abilities, but you can probably assume they'll be about the same.
Elites Not Returning to Multiplayer
-Not much detail was given as to why elites will not see multiplayer combat, it was stated in a picture caption. The caption reads, "Competitive multiplayer focues on the Spartan IVs. Elites will not be playable.
Grenades
-Now the article itself did not talk about grenades, but I noticed in the picture the Spartan had 4 grenade options. I assume the plasma grenade will return as seen from an explosion in the picture and the frag grenade will most definitely return as seen by the Halo 4 first look video.
Firefight
-Once again, no explanation why aside from a picture caption. The caption read, "Halo 4's campaign is still playable with four players online (in reference to Spartan Ops, ensuring players that Spartan Ops will not replace the campaign coop experience). 343 Industries has no plans to include a dedicated Firefight mode. I'm torn on this, I don't normally play firefight, but I feel like it is a standard necessary feature in the game after Halo 3: ODST introduced it.
Regicide
-Regicide is a variation of free for all. I think it's similar to VIP. Regicide, as stated by the article, "sets the leading scorer as the king. Every opponent that the king kills raises his bounty; other players have to kill the king to claim the reward."
Distraction and Revenge Medals
-Don't feel bad anymore for not killing a single person in the game, you can get a medal for being a distraction! Oh, you just got killed and now you're raging at that player? Calm down and get rewarded for hunting down the guy that just killed you!
Let me make it clear that I do not necessarily see these medals as bad. They just may reward people that don't actually deserve one.
No More Weapon Camping
-One the skills that separated veteran players from inexperienced players was the ability to time power weapons' spawns. In Halo 4, this will be near impossible. Weapons drop down in drop pods at random locations around the map. Quoted from the article, "This gives the matches other focal points, and it also helps alleviate the advantage longtime players always used to have over newer recruits; the best weapons are not always going to be found at the same spawn locations." Unless there is a distinguishable skill gap between players, I most definitely do not like this idea.
No More Respawn Delay
-Immediately after you die, by tapping the X button you are sent back into the match. Now let's contemplate why this might be bad. Let's say Halo spawns are... not so great. A skilled player out BRs/DMRs/whatevers a unskilled player. Now that unskilled player can immediately respawn and find you before your shields even regenerate! I understand 343 is trying to speed up the game, but they must understand the consequences of instant spawns.
Joining In-Progress Games
-So to solve the quitting problem, 343 implemented the ability to join games that are in-progress. My question is are we going to have the ability to search for games starting up instead? It infuriates me to join a game at the last possible second, not even offering me the chance to play.Along with the Halo 4 multiplayer details that leaked out on Friday, details about Master Chief's new adventure also emerged with details on enemies old and new, the Dyson Sphere that the game takes place on and Cortana's precarious state of mind.
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Along with the Halo 4 multiplayer details that leaked out on Friday, details about Master Chief's new adventure also emerged with details on enemies old and new, the Dyson Sphere that the game takes place on and Cortana's precarious state of mind.
Halo 4 is set four years, seven months and ten days after the end of Halo 3 when Master Chief entered a cryo-statis tube on the derelict Forward Unto Dawn and told Cortana to wake him if she needs him. While he was asleep, Cortana rewrote his HUD so we will see "subtle parallax movement during athletic actions and more visual cues that indicate the presence of a helmet."
Cortana's need of Master Chief is what kicks off the campaign as what appears to be Covenant fleet is attacking the ship though it is unknown why and it becomes apparent that the attacking Elites and Grunts are not part of the Covenant in the those who are familiar with the series expect. In fact, they aren't even the primary opponent in the game. You meet the main bad guys later when Master Chief and Cortana move from Forward Unto Dawn to the Dyson Sphere-like Forerunner shield world, Requiem.


This new faction possesses unique and different enemy types, weapons and equipment but is "elevated in terms of their intelligence and complexity relative to the Covenant." The new enemies play different from either the Covenant or the Flood according to 343 Industries and each enemy "build on and accentuates the abilities of the others." Not much more is known about the yet and it is unclear whether or not any Forerunners still live.
The Dyson Sphere world of Requiem is huge and served as a safe haven for the Forerunners when they set off the Halo ring weapons that destroyed all life in the galaxy. The skybox is filled with massive pillars dipping down from the ceiling of the Dyson Sphere and some concept art showed a giant squid-like creature floating through the sky.
A major theme of Halo 4 will be the relationship between Master Chief and Cortana. The story is setup to show more of Chief's human side while both deal with Cortana reaching the end of her life expectancy. According to the Halo Universe fiction, smart AIs like Cortana begin to break down and go mad after about seven years. She is reaching that point but it is unclear what her experiences with interfacing with Forerunner technology and the Grave Mind have done for her life expectancy.
The campaign for Halo 4 can be played in co-op for up to four players like previous games in the series. The multiplayer side of the game called Halo 4 Infinity does tie-in to the campaign side but it is currently unclear how one will affect the other.

We already know that the Battle Rifle will return with Halo 4 and now 343 Industries confirmed on Friday that the DMR will return while the Bubble Shield will not.
343 Industries' Frank O'Connor, Josh Holmes, Kiki Wolfkill and David Ellis all got together for a Halo 4 podcast to share some information on the upcoming Xbox 360 exclusive. While the group spent the majority of the time talking about the recently revealed multiplayer maps, they did drop some nuggets of weapon information toward the end.
The DMR from Halo: Reach will return with Halo 4. It served as a replacement for the Battle Rifle but was not as well loved by fans of the series. How the two will fit together in the same game is unknown but 343 says they will both have their uses. For example, it is easier to shoot down mid-air enemies with the DMR according.
Originally introduced in Halo 3, the Bubble Shield will be absent from Halo 4. No reason was given for its absence.
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Finally, the Assault Rifle received a mention as well where it was described as "beefy" and "sounds amazing". Players will still need to burst fire with it to be effective but so far it sounds like its power has been improved upon from previous titles.