The new issue of GameInformer was released last Friday and with it came tons of new details about Halo 4. Whether or not you’re excited for a Halo that isn’t made by Bungie, I’m sure at least a few of the highlights will be enough to get you interested.

The game will be set in 2557, only four years after the events of Halo 3. Though I was expecting something a bit further into the future, I suppose placing things right alongside the Bungie trilogy’s cannon is a good way to ease players into whatever the future of the franchise will be.

As you can see in the GameInformer cover pictured above, Cortana has gotten another image makeover. Cortana’s visual progression has always been toward the more realistic and naked throughout the series, so I can’t really fault developers for the new look. However, does she really need a bellybutton?

The ship Master Chief escaped on in Halo 3 will crash land on the planet Requiem. Supposedly, the planet is encased in a Dyson sphere. That doesn’t make sense though, since Dyson spheres encase stars to absorb most of their energy. Anyway, the new planet means a new opportunity for a new enemy, one that comes with new weapons and equipment.

As for multiplayer, the armor abilities from Halo Reach are back, including the hologram, jet-pack, and camouflage. Everybody gets to sprint, though. If you are tired of those four tones before you re-spawn you are in luck: in team slayer players can re-spawn instantly. There is also a new game variant that gives the leader in slayer mode a bounty based on how many kills he or she has. Though I can’t see this mode being popular for competitive play, it’s always nice to get more options.

You can check out the full list of new info over at gamingbolt or pick up a copy of the new GameInformer, which includes some fantastic screenshots.

What do you think? Has Halo jumped the shark, or are you still looking forward to all the multiplayer spartan vs. spartan fun? Let me know in the comments below.