Halo 4: Meet The New Enemy

A new threat…

Speculation regarding Halo 4, right now, is easy. 343 Industries has been careful not to mention anything too story specific, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few hints and winks to pick up on.

343 has already mentioned that the Master Chief will be going up against the Covenant in some form, but after the war, which ravaged the universe for years, they’re not quite the super power they once were.

The Covenant will be scattered, weak and only a mild distraction, serving as a reminder of where Halo has come from. The real threat facing John-117 could be much more interesting.

Franchise director Frank O’Connor has mentioned on more than one occasion that Halo 4 will have a greater connection to Halo’s wider fiction. With Greg Bear’s Forerunner Trilogy (beginning with Halo: Cryptum) currently doing the rounds, could we see the 100,000-year-old species return?

Perhaps to finish the firing of the rings that was thwarted before? That’s an interesting idea, but Bear’s books also delve deep into the Forerunner’s society and they are depicted as an enlightened bunch, not that keen on conflict, but what about the Precursors?

A species even older than the Forerunners, who study them just as humans and the Covenant have studied the Forerunners. Could these be the new threat 343 is hinting at?

It could be anyone of these, but it’s also more than likely the Flood will turn up at some point and ruin everyone’s party by forcing the Chief to run through the Library until he can’t stand it anymore…

The prodigal son returns… but who will he be fighting?

After witnessing Master Chief’s rude awakening last year, as his derelict space ship spun inexorably towards a massive new threat, 343 Industries finally revealed what Halo looks like without Bungie.

This is much more than just a sequel; it’s a re-imagining, a restart and a chance for the series to break new, darker, ground and bring players closer to a character that has epitomised modern gaming and, of course, the 360 itself.

343 has been hard at work establishing a new threat for the Chief and it appears the enigmatic Forerunners could be stepping into the Covenant’s shoes.

343, and Bungie before it, has gone to great pains to intelligently expand the Halo canon into all manner of new media and with Halo 4 the bigger picture will begin to make sense.

We’re loathe to say it’s a more mature take on Halo, but with a focus on emotion, drama and character, framing the traditional action, Halo 4 is taking steps in a direction previously limited in Bungie’s trilogy.

John-117 is no longer an empty vessel. 343 is ensuring players feel grounded in the Mjolnir armour, its hud apparently taking on a much more practical look and feel. In fact, a grittier approach has been taken to the Chief’s armour as a whole.

He’s bulkier than before and as such, he feels more human and vulnerable. We’re more convinced there’s a human encased inside the hulking mass. Though 343 feels like Halo 4 is something of a reboot, to reignite the franchise for players (but not in a Hollywood way), it’s still very much a continuation of what Bungie created, but now it’s been rebuilt to take advantage of new technology.

343 has remained as tight-lipped as ever regarding the new direction of Halo 4’s single-player, but its multiplayer has seen just as much change. Wraparound and Warhouse are the maps currently showing just how 343 is approaching Halo 4’s multiplayer and with the game’s reworked engine, there’s a lot to get excited about. Floating structures, a golden skyline and large metallic corridors surround a central multi-tiered hub in Warhouse.

Wraparound sees players duke it out in a solar facility that has hints of an inverted Tron environment, with neon strips and monochrome architecture. 343 has been keen to stress that although players will be now be able to customise their loadouts, in a similar fashion to a certain popular shooter, it’ll be reminiscent of Reach’s armour abilities.

Until the lid is fully lifted on Microsoft’s big green hope, how much impact Halo 4 will have on today’s Call Of Duty-focused world is unknown. One thing is certain, though, it’s good to have you back, Master Chief.

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• 343 Industries Is ‘past playing it safe’ With Halo
• Colonial Marines: Returning To Halo’s Greatest Inspiration
• 343 Industries: There’s No Halo Movie
• Saber Interactive Talk Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary

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