When Bungie announced they were leaving the Halo franchise, many fans were concerned what the new team, 343 Industries, was going to do with the franchise. After this first look with footage of Halo 4, it seems that the franchise is in good hands.
Microsoft released a short making of video today to tease Halo 4 and it’s a beauty. There is some great information here that’s sure to make any Halo fan excited. We can get the release date out of the way first, however, as the game has been confirmed for holiday 2012. Gamers should expect it to hit sometime in November.
The most exciting new aspect that 343 Industries is bringing to Halo is an increased focus on story. The team said that up until now, the only time you ever got to see the humanity of Master Chief was in the novels and comics. With Halo 4, the team is going to put the story at the forefront of the game.
With the Flood wiped out and the Covenant no more, what more could Master Chief face? Well, the team isn’t saying, but they say it will be something unlike anything you’ve seen before. My bet is on a giant planet eating monster.
What may excite a lot of long time fans is that the classic battle rifle is back. While it’s no one-shot kill pistol, the burst-fire rifle was always a fan favorite and will be safely kept to fans’ expectations.
The multiplayer experience is getting the most amount of work in the form of new maps not based on the campaign, but rather on competitive design. The two maps shown in the trailer look amazing and I can’t wait to try them out. As an added bonus, they are integrating the multiplayer into the Halo fiction by having Spartan IV soldiers duke it out.
After watching this, I think we can all agree that 343 Industries has this in the bag. They care a lot about Halo and are making it the best it can be. Microsoft wouldn’t let their flagship franchise fall by the wayside now that Bungie has left it.
With the release of this video, it seems that Microsoft will be showing off more Halo 4 at GDC this week. We’ll keep you updated on any announcements from the show, including anything Halo 4 related.
In the meantime, check out the making of video and see the first footage of Halo 4 in action. It’s a beauty of a game. Holiday 2012 can’t come soon enough.