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[scently]

Well I for one am really impressed with the direction of the sp. The changes to the art is really nice as is the massive improvement to the tech and graphics. From the lighting to the 720p to the inclusion of FXAA, all very impressive. And from the concept arts we have seen, both old and new, it seems as though we are in for some really open scale, impressive and interesting locations.

As for the direction and story of the campaign, I think, given the exposition at the end of Primordium, and the little details we have thus far from Glassland, I think I have an idea how the Covenant got there, and which faction of the Covenant they are. I expect the Thursday War to really give us a lot more detail. What do you think Dani?

 

[op_ivy]

edit: Also Spartan Ops (lame name though) sounds great

it does and thankfully, unlike the name suggests, it isnt a rip off of CoDs spec ops. sounds like a great way to keep people playing AND adding a lot of depth to the story.i wonder if we'll be able to import our halo 4 spartan IV in halo 5 and 6? maybe even into a side project with him/her as the star?

 

[Trey]

I agree with all the clamor over the look of the game. Jaws have been unhinged, nevermind dropped.

Must be where they keep the gonads. Got to protect the crown jewels.

Being on the balls of your feet just achieved new context.

 

[Woorloog]

When are people going to play Halo 3? And what lists? I could join you later on.

 

[Overdoziz]

At least the campaign sounds interesting. Multiplayer still sounds hilariously dumb.

 

[Gazzawa]

I r liekz teh new additions ta haloz
takin da good stuffs from codz r n0+ a bad thing
lol Spartan Opz i see what u did there.

 

[HiredN00bs]

Just finished reading the Game Informer cover story...wow. Had to read it to believe some of the things swimming around here. I guess I'll give it a shot, but most of the regs here are going to need life support--oh Frankie, where art thou?

 

[op_ivy]

At least the campaign sounds interesting. Multiplayer still sounds hilariously dumb.

i'm thinking the multiplayer will be divided amongst reach 2.0, reach 2.0 social (with weapon drops, instant respawns, etc?), and old school halo playlists. hopefully, despite this, the game wont have too many playlists to divide up the community and at least some sort of motivation to at least check out each (through challenges?). also, so long as this "divide" is in from day 1, i dont think it will be as confused as what we saw with reach.

 

[HigherLevel]

Other than instant respawns, nothing sounds terribly bad. I think people need to calm down and wait until we actually see the game in action before going crazy.

 

[Overdoziz]

i'm thinking the multiplayer will be divided amongst reach 2.0, reach 2.0 social (with weapon drops, instant respawns, etc?), and old school halo playlists. hopefully, despite this, the game wont have too many playlists to divide up the community and at least some sort of motivation to at least check out each (through challenges?). also, so long as this "divide" is in from day 1, i dont think it will be as confused as what we saw with reach.

Remember when Reach had a classic playlist at launch? Yeah.
Even still, if the MP will be as awful as it sounds, one (or a few) classic playlist won't redeem the overall multiplayer. Just like the barebones playlist(s) in CoD doesn't make the MP suddenly worthwhile.

 

[Korosenai]

I can see it now.

You're in a 4v4 snipers match, everyone is using forerunner vision, and since you can see where anyone is, what's the point in moving out and getting killed?

 

[Arnie]

Other than instant respawns, nothing sounds terribly bad. I think people need to calm down and wait until we actually see the game in action before going crazy.

If I was to put random weapon spawns into a category it'd be the 'terribly bad' one.

 

[Overdoziz]

If I was to put random weapon spawns into a category it'd be the 'terribly bad' one.

Unlockable armor abilities sounds like a good one too.

 

[Gazzawa]

I can see it now.

You're in a 4v4 snipers match, everyone is using forerunner vision, and since you can see where anyone is, what's the point in moving out and getting killed?

No sniper in Halo 4.
Boom

 

[Rand0m TAG]

Unlockable armor abilities sounds like a good one too.

for 1 000 000 spartan points, you can unlock armor lock

 

[Franklinator]

Other than instant respawns, nothing sounds terribly bad. I think people need to calm down and wait until we actually see the game in action before going crazy.

Eh, I think the GI quote of "Advancing past the cosmetic armor rewards available in Halo: Reach's multiplayer, Halo 4 lets players apply gameplay-changing upgrades to their character much like Call of Duty or Battlefield" makes it sound pretty bad. But, like I said, I'm going to wait and see how it plays. I mean, it's not like I'm not going to be there day 1, lol.

 

[789shadow]

Eh, I think the GI quote of "Advancing past the cosmetic armor rewards available in Halo: Reach's multiplayer, Halo 4 lets players apply gameplay-changing upgrades to their character much like Call of Duty or Battlefield" makes it sound pretty bad. But, like I said, I'm going to wait and see how it plays. I mean, it's not like I'm not going to be there day 1, lol.

lol let's face it, no matter what, every single person in this place will have this game Day 1.

 

[TheOddOne]

The fact that they reference COD and Battlefield makes me smh.

 

[The Librarian]

How is random weapon spawn even going to work? That's all going to be so confusing.

 

[Trey]

I'd put random weapon respawns over instant respawns in the Halo 4 shit list. The latter is actually making me rethink things.

 

[HigherLevel]

If I was to put random weapon spawns into a category it'd be the 'terribly bad' one.

Like I said in a post last night, if they are handled similar to weapon drops in Firefight it won't be that bad.

 

[lybertyboy]

For those expecting a podcast release this weekend, don't. All of the information you're getting at this point is from leaked scans of the GI article. As is the case with all cover stories, the magazine needs to start hitting more hands before we offer full clarifications.

I will say this, some of the conclusions that are being reached are not entirely accurate. Some of the mp items mentioned in the story have changed since the media visit. I can't really say too much more at this time, but please be patient while we begin clarifying and answering questions in the near future.

As Frank has said previously, we knew some elements of the Halo mp evolution would be controversial in some circles, while many others would be less so. Keep in mind that none of these design decisions have been made lightly, but have been carefully thought out and continue to be tweaked based on feedback from people playing the game.

And yes, Spartan Ops is as awesome as it sounds. Can't wait to share more.

 

[feel]

Thanks for the summary Dani!

Campaign (and coop) and Spartan OPS seem like they will be really fantastic. Really hyped for them right now.

About Multiplayer.. sigh.. can't believe Armor Abilities are back. Wow 343.

There's other disappointments like the MP fights and locations being "fake" (holodeck stuff) which kills some of the magic and feel of it, insta-respawns, random weapon drops and DMR starts possibly ruining maps again if they're 3X, but nothing compares to Armor Abilities again (specially with gamebreaking ones like jetpack and camo being announced from the getgo).

Sucks that I will probably have to stick to special, very low populated playlists again.

 

[The Librarian]

Like I said in a post last night, if they are handled similar to weapon drops in Firefight it won't be that bad.

It doesn't have to be bad if they simply didn't include it. :/

 

[WJD]

Ok, maybe if I tally things up like this it won't seem so bad...

• Loadouts are composed of a primary and secondary weapon, a grenade type, armour ability and modifications. It is unclear how the modification system works or what things it modifies or how.

Primary and secondary doesn't sound too bad as long as it's just limited to the likes of BR/DMR/AR and Pistol/Plasma Pistol which I imagine it will be. But I'm really not a fan of armour abilities returning unless they're just pushed away into a little corner of matchmaking of their own. Obviously I know nothing about armour mods so that goes in the "meh" pile.

• Returning Armour Abilities include Hologram, Jet-Pack and Camo. A new ability to see through walls was shown and Sprint is now a baseline ability all players will have access to at all times.

NO. no no no no. X-Ray vision just sounds like a horrible needless addition and again, I'm not a fan of armour abilities returning in the first place. Sprint is a bit of a "meh" for me too but not exactly game destroying.

• FFA Variant, Regicide. Lead slayer is "King" - each of the King;s kills raises his "bounty". The bounty is claimed by whomever kills the King.

Sounds interesting.

• In Team Slayer (not confirmed for other gametypes), players can respawn instantly after death if they choose. Additionally, power weapons are introduced into a game on a random timer and appear at random drop points on the map.

Awful, awful decision if it's universal to all gametypes. Although if, again, it's restricted to just one little playlist then I can ignore and it shouldn't bother me. Probably the most 'un-Halo' addition.

• Medals are turning including new medals for "revenge kills" and for causing a distraction.

Ok, I guess?

I just need some clarification on some of the changes before deciding whether or not to rage but as it stands, there's definitely cause for concern.

 

[Arnie]

Unlockable armor abilities sounds like a good one too.

At this point I'm putting the reactions into three camps, and I'm not trying to be derogatory to anyone who believes they fall into one these camps, this is just how I'm interpreting it:

- Those who didn't really enjoy Halo multiplayer that much and so these changes sound like something new which might get them into the franchise. Additionally they aren't emotionally attached to the core of the franchise so seeing it be so drastically altered doesn't bother them.

- Those who're fans of the series and wish to give 343i the benefit of the doubt; Partly because they don't want to see Halo on this weird plane where it's eschewed it's fan base and mechanics, and partly because they want to see 343 succeed on their promises.

- Those that learned with Halo Reach that hyping a game just because of it's name won't bring you any fortune on release day. That Halo doesn't mean anything if the game behind the name isn't the Halo they know and love.

 

[ElRenoRaven]

For those expecting a podcast release this weekend, don't. All of the information you're getting at this point is from leaked scans of the GI article. As is the case with all cover stories, the magazine needs to start hitting more hands before we offer full clarifications.

I will say this, some of the conclusions that are being reached are not entirely accurate. Some of the mp items mentioned in the story have changed since the media visit. I can't really say too much more at this time, but please be patient while we begin clarifying and answering questions in the near future.

As Frank has said previously, we knew some elements of the Halo mp evolution would be controversial in some circles, while many others would be less so. Keep in mind that none of these design decisions have been made lightly, but have been carefully thought out and continue to be tweaked based on feedback from people playing the game.

And yes, Spartan Ops is as awesome as it sounds. Can't wait to share more.

Well I can tell you right now I won't be touching the multiplayer. That simple. So all you guys have left to make me buy it is campaign and that had better be damn good.

 

[Gazzawa]

Sucks that I will probably have to stick to special, very low populated playlists again.

Brink?

 

[Hydranockz]

For those expecting a podcast release this weekend, don't. All of the information you're getting at this point is from leaked scans of the GI article. As is the case with all cover stories, the magazine needs to start hitting more hands before we offer full clarifications.

I will say this, some of the conclusions that are being reached are not entirely accurate. Some of the mp items mentioned in the story have changed since the media visit. I can't really say too much more at this time, but please be patient while we begin clarifying and answering questions in the near future.

As Frank has said previously, we knew some elements of the Halo mp evolution would be controversial in some circles, while many others would be less so. Keep in mind that none of these design decisions have been made lightly, but have been carefully thought out and continue to be tweaked based on feedback from people playing the game.

And yes, Spartan Ops is as awesome as it sounds. Can't wait to share more.

Awesome, can't wait to hear more about it.

"I will say this, some of the conclusions that are being reached are not entirely accurate."

:lol

 

[op_ivy]

Remember when Reach had a classic playlist at launch? Yeah.
Even still, if the MP will be as awful as it sounds, one (or a few) classic playlist won't redeem the overall multiplayer. Just like the barebones playlist(s) in CoD doesn't make the MP suddenly worthwhile.

why think in terms of the overall? if you can please the hardcore "competitive" crowd with a group of old school playlists, and satisfy those of us that are ok with messing with the original formula (reach 2.0), whats wrong with that?

obviously, its too early to say that 343i can do this, but i'm not sure we cant give them the benefit of the doubt. its certainly plausible all can be happy is all i'm saying, despite a lot of the newly revealed features sounding worrysome.

 

[Gui_PT]

For those expecting a podcast release this weekend, don't. All of the information you're getting at this point is from leaked scans of the GI article. As is the case with all cover stories, the magazine needs to start hitting more hands before we offer full clarifications.

I will say this, some of the conclusions that are being reached are not entirely accurate. Some of the mp items mentioned in the story have changed since the media visit. I can't really say too much more at this time, but please be patient while we begin clarifying and answering questions in the near future.

As Frank has said previously, we knew some elements of the Halo mp evolution would be controversial in some circles, while many others would be less so. Keep in mind that none of these design decisions have been made lightly, but have been carefully thought out and continue to be tweaked based on feedback from people playing the game.

And yes, Spartan Ops is as awesome as it sounds. Can't wait to share more.

Serious question. Would you say it "feels like Halo"?

 

[Franklinator]

Don't suppose there's any time to reconsider the name Spartan Ops, is there? Cause the name honestly sounds kinda desperate, even though the the mode itself sounds awesome.

 

[Rand0m TAG]

For those expecting a podcast release this weekend, don't. All of the information you're getting at this point is from leaked scans of the GI article. As is the case with all cover stories, the magazine needs to start hitting more hands before we offer full clarifications.

I will say this, some of the conclusions that are being reached are not entirely accurate. Some of the mp items mentioned in the story have changed since the media visit. I can't really say too much more at this time, but please be patient while we begin clarifying and answering questions in the near future.

As Frank has said previously, we knew some elements of the Halo mp evolution would be controversial in some circles, while many others would be less so. Keep in mind that none of these design decisions have been made lightly, but have been carefully thought out and continue to be tweaked based on feedback from people playing the game.

And yes, Spartan Ops is as awesome as it sounds. Can't wait to share more.

hopefully you can drop a video showing how all these changes play out.

 

[Overdoziz]

For those expecting a podcast release this weekend, don't. All of the information you're getting at this point is from leaked scans of the GI article. As is the case with all cover stories, the magazine needs to start hitting more hands before we offer full clarifications.

I will say this, some of the conclusions that are being reached are not entirely accurate. Some of the mp items mentioned in the story have changed since the media visit. I can't really say too much more at this time, but please be patient while we begin clarifying and answering questions in the near future.

As Frank has said previously, we knew some elements of the Halo mp evolution would be controversial in some circles, while many others would be less so. Keep in mind that none of these design decisions have been made lightly, but have been carefully thought out and continue to be tweaked based on feedback from people playing the game.

And yes, Spartan Ops is as awesome as it sounds. Can't wait to share more.

 

[Arnie]

Serious question. Would you say it "feels like Halo"?

He's not going to say 'no' is he.

I'm not questioning David's motives in that, I'm not implying that he'd be disingenuous, I'm just saying that it's his job to convince us that this is a good evolution of the franchise, because that's the path he and the team have chosen to pursue.

We need to learn from the lessons of Reach. Not saying we should purposefully choose to hang the game out to dry as a result, but that we should be critical in our interpretation of the information given to us.

Rather than, "It feels like Halo, omggg". And again, I'm not trying to be condescending to anyone when I write that.

 

[ActiveRush]

I honestly do not know how they will explain this. These decisions these people have made are making this game shift further torwards the COD market. Instant respawn, perks, random weapon timers, the mp is going to fail and right now I honestly hope it does unless they reveal something different. I was a halo fan until I read this garbage.

 

[Deputy Moonman]

haha winning!

Spoiler

no disrespect intended. just making light of the situation

 

[CyReN]

I just want to know what they meant by competitive players in mind, as in customization is there or general gameplay? When I didn't competitive play "CoD style" is the last, game has a skill gap but in minimal to other titles. Maybe I'm reading too much into it.

 

[Genesis Knight]

As said earlier, I can't wait for 343 to spin this shit just like Bungie did. Remember all that BS about how awesome bloom, armor abilities, Invasion, Arena, the race gametypes, the armory, commendations, "all-this-blue-and-grey-shit-looks-the-same" Forge maps, and such would be for Halo? They made it sound like sweet sweet gravy on a Thanksgiving turkey, and all of it either sucked (bloom) or ended up being a total non-factor (commendations). Prepare for explanations of how random fucking weapon drops and perks make Halo better, complete with the typical Halo buzzwords like "sandbox".

 

[RebornYeti]

Just woke up, read the GI. The info posted last night wasn't fake. :/

At least the single player sounds (and looks!) amazing. Spartan Ops doesn't sound too bad either. So far, Halo 4 is shaping up to be a Singleplayer/Co-Op kind of game for me. Here's to hoping Forge will be fun to mess around in, if it does come back.

 

[TheOddOne]

For those expecting a podcast release this weekend, don't. All of the information you're getting at this point is from leaked scans of the GI article. As is the case with all cover stories, the magazine needs to start hitting more hands before we offer full clarifications.

I will say this, some of the conclusions that are being reached are not entirely accurate. Some of the mp items mentioned in the story have changed since the media visit. I can't really say too much more at this time, but please be patient while we begin clarifying and answering questions in the near future.

As Frank has said previously, we knew some elements of the Halo mp evolution would be controversial in some circles, while many others would be less so. Keep in mind that none of these design decisions have been made lightly, but have been carefully thought out and continue to be tweaked based on feedback from people playing the game.

And yes, Spartan Ops is as awesome as it sounds. Can't wait to share more.

Thanks for some clarification David. Patiently waiting for the podcast.

 

[Karl2177]

This really is chasing after Call of Duty with the progression system. I like how one of the titles says "Reinventing the Circle". Halo is being reinvented, and the way the article plays it, it's not looking good. :/

 

[Hydranockz]

Pre-order cancelled. 343 just shot themselves in the foot.

 

[op_ivy]

the melt downs in here are actually far more hilarious then the GI cover reveal thread from the gaming side...

 

[Gui_PT]

He's not going to say 'no' is he.

I'm not questioning David's motives in that, I'm not implying that he'd be disingenuous, I'm just saying that it's his job to convince us that this is a good evolution of the franchise, because that's the path he and the team have chosen to pursue.

We need to learn from the lessons of Reach. Not saying we should purposefully choose to hang the game out to dry as a result, but that we should be critical in our interpretation of the information given to us.

Rather than, "It feels like Halo, omggg". And again, I'm not trying to be condescending to anyone when I write that.

He's a cool guy and doesn't afraid of anything.

I assume he knows what I meant with the question and would give me an honest and a longer than yes/no answer.

Because if it doesn't feel like Halo and it's just a cod/battlefield copy, I already have those =P

 

[i nerini del buio]

There's this thing noone's talking about. What's the point of having both the BR and the DMR? And, more importantly, will the DMR keep its reticule bloom? The feeling I have is that Halo4 is going to be a kind of jack of all trades, master of none.
No point in trying to satisfy everyone. Just make your game, 343.

 

[Holiday]

As Frank has said previously, we knew some elements of the Halo mp evolution would be controversial in some circles, while many others would be less so. Keep in mind that none of these design decisions have been made lightly, but have been carefully thought out and continue to be tweaked based on feedback from people playing the game.

It's good to know that you guys thought twice before dumping all over Halo. Actually, it's not. If this was the result of a long and careful thought process, then 343 is hopeless.

 

[Hydranockz]

Really digging the amount of emotion from Cortana's face from those sreens. Don't think I've ever seen such expression since Lord Hood.

 

[The Librarian]

I remain very, very, very skeptical. Frankie and David's posts become less and less reassuring as more information comes out.

 

[Hydranockz]

It's good to know that you guys thought twice before dumping all over Halo. Actually, it's not. If this was the result of a long and careful thought process, then 343 is hopeless.

Pre-emptive much?