Halo 4

[spirited away]

Microsoft/343 Industries are set to make an announcement on Halo 4 later today.

 

Here are the first screens ("100%untouched").

 

 

 

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-03-05-first-in-game-halo-4-screenshots-revealed

 

I'm curious.

[Daft]

What the fuck is wrong with his left hand? Is he Mr Fantastic now?

[Cube]

Hmm...now that I don't with a load of other guys who are always on hand for playing Halo...I care little for the franchise.

[Caris]

Looks brilliant, impressed.

[Aimless]

"100% untouched" in terms of PhotoShop, perhaps, but I guarantee you these are rendered at a much higher resolution than the actual game with more comprehensive AA. Not to say that sort of thing isn't common — especially for assets destined for magazines — it just irks me when people beat around the bush with such carefully worded claims.

 

If the above seemed petty, honestly I don't have much else to say. It looks like Master Chief. He'll probably shoot a dude. No doubt the game will be good.

 

That's about it.

[Daft]

Yeah, I remember taking screenshots for a certain company and was like, WTF? that's not what I've been testing.

 

I'll consider buying a 360 if this is good. I gave my old one away.

[Cube]

Why would they "fake" the quality of screenshots they don't look graphically impressive anyway?

[Daft]

They're not trying to fake them. It's just the process of capturing them off a dev kit always delivers screenshots at a much higher resolution. As in, that's not what it'll look like on a TV but that is what it looks like.

[Cube]

Ah, I've just noticed that the images are 5120x2880.

 

Not sure why they've made them so big...it looks dreadful if you go to normal zoom.

[Retro_Link]

There's already a Halo 4 thread @Dan Dare, @Domstercool, @McPhee could you merge them.

[Daft]

Halo 4 Preview

 

Armour can now be upgraded and personalized, but whereas such modifications were purely aesthetic in previous games, this time they bring with them gameplay perks - as well as a fundamental shift in the philosophy at the heart of Halo's multiplayer.

 

I do not like the sound of this. At all.

 

Everything else sounds mint.

[Aimless]

Here's the first ViDoc:

 

Or if you'd prefer a summary: "Halo 4 is a Halo game. We enjoy bloom and DoF effects." As is par for the course, they talk a lot without saying much.

[Dan_Dare]

Well they already had armour abilities in Reach so presumably the armour aesthetics will reflect those. I just hope 343 balance those better because they almost killed Reach (until 343 took over and made it fucking boss)

[Zell]

Reach was a real step backwards in my opinion. Reach with all its new customisation stuff seemed like it was trying to become more like Call Of Duty. I did not care for the armour abilities, I much preferred the equipment from Halo 3 (bubble shields, power drains etc). In fact, I pretty much prefer everything from Halo 3. Give me 4 on 4 BRs on The Pit any day of the week over anything from Reach.

 

This looks very promising though, no doubt it will be a day one purchase for me.

[dwarf]

Accusations of modern competitive games converging with the 'CoD philosophy' annoy me no end. Especially when directed at Reach, as you've just made me realise.

 

Armour abilities are fairly far removed from perks and killstreaks, and the games themselves are miles apart as far as FPS' are concerned. If you don't think outside the gun when making a shooter in today's market, you're destined to sink.

[Daft]

I don't mind 'abilities' so much as hate the word 'unlock'.

[Hero-of-Time]

Here's some details from this month's GI. Gaf ain't happy...

 

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 Sparan 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.

[Cube]

Halo 3's multiplayer was great because it was relatively simple. I stopped playing Reach one week after release.

 

Also, why the spec ops co-op when the whole game is co-op?

[Hero-of-Time]

More multiplayer details and a possible release date.

 

It seems that 343 Industries' efforts to shake up Halo 4's multiplayer with new modes and an overhauling of classic game types will also see the introduction of a new mode called 'Regicide', in which one player assumes the role of King and everyone else seeks to usurp his throne and kill him. It's like Game of Thrones in space.

 

The new mode is revealed in a video interview with Halo 4's Lead Multiplayer Designer, Brad Welch over on Game Informer, detailing a twist on the free-for-all deathmatch. Killing the King in Regicide grants you the huge bounty upon their head, while killing the other players will still grant you a point apiece. The bounty on the King's head increases as the match progresses, until they're dead.

 

There's also rumours echoing around the web that later today will see a major Halo 4 announcement, with reports suggesting that a November 6th, 2012 release date might be revealed. Rest assured we'll have the news for you as soon as it drops this afternoon.

[Murr]

6th of November is a go -

 

The next instalment in the popular Halo video game series has been given a global release date of 6 November.

 

Microsoft said it marked a "new beginning" for the series, which it confirmed would now continue for the next decade.

 

The new game will be set four years after Halo 3 and see the game's hero, Master Chief, "confront his destiny and face an ancient evil".

 

Halo games have sold more than 40 million copies worldwide.

 

The first-person shooter first appeared on the original Xbox console in 2001, before moving to the Xbox 360 with games like Halo 3 and Halo Reach.

 

Developer 343 Industries, part of Microsoft's in-house games department, will be in charge of producing the new Halo for the first time.

 

It's taking over from Bungie who made the previous games in the series.

 

Halo's November release means the game is likely to face tough competition from other highly-anticipated titles.

 

Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto 5 is rumoured for an October 2012 release, while Assassin's Creed 3 and Resident Evil 6 are out in the same month.

 

For the last three years, the Call of Duty series has dominated the November games release schedule.

 

Much-publicised titles like Modern Warfare 3 and Black Ops have sold millions of copies in the lucrative run-up to Christmas.

 

Microsoft will be looking to rival that success but will also be competing with another high-profile event - the US presidential elections, which take place on the same day.

 

For the last three years, the Call of Duty series has dominated the November games release schedule.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/17755467

[Daft]

I wonder if maybe they should have set it more than 4 years after the last game. Not that I'm bothered. Can't wait for this. The 360's swan song? I suspect so.

[Murr]

 

SEXUAL!

Edited April 20, 2012 by Murr

[Caris]

Jizzzzzzzzzzzzz, can't wait.

Edited April 20, 2012 by Caris

[Daft]

it actually looks pretty amazing.

[Shorty]

I feel like they've changed Cortana's face a lot, and not because of the graphical improvements. It does look good though.