- Cruciata Novus
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- Honorable Member
Calm down. Its just a game.
*This will be a long and serious thread*
My fellow Bnet Members, a New Age of Halo has begun! In this era, the Halo series will no longer be guided by its original founder Bungie, but by Microsoft's Halo-specialized 343 Industries. However, the Announcement Trailer has left many to wonder the aspects of this new Halo trilogy. I will attempt to answer these questions based upon history and logic.
I. What type of game will this be?
II. What are the story elements?
III. What else can be inferred?
ANSWER I
"Duh, its going to be FPS you freakin ret@rd!" That was probably what you were thinking when I asked this question: after all, Halo has always been part of the FPS genre (in fact, it revolutionaized the genre after GoldenEye 007 established its identity). However, history has taught us that anything can change over time. The Resident Evil series, for example, has changed since its first game, Resident Evil. According to people who have played Resident Evil games, the genre of this series has changed from survival-horror to action-adventure. In the first games, your ammo and health was limited and you still had to find a way out of Raccoon City, but there is always a zombie at every corner to surprise you. In the newer games, it has become action-oriented evidenced by easily accessible ammo, simplified mechanics, and a high number of zombies and bosses to kill. Also, you get to travel from the dark villages of Europe to the towns of Africa, instead of being isolated in Raccoon City. I am aware that Resident Evil is not Halo and that, technically, the basic mechanics have not changed from game to game. But this is just proof that a series can change over time. Besides, the Halo FPS series were not the only games in the Halo Universe.
There were a few projects that wanted to use the Halo Universe as its setting, but each proposed to take on different forms. They include Halo DS (canceled), Halo Chronicles (canceled), Halo MMO (cancelled), and, of course, Halo Wars (active). Halo 4 is an endeavor being carried out by Microsoft; thus, taking a look at all these games, which were backed by Microsoft, would give us an idea of what type of game Halo 4 and its new trilogy would be. It can be safely assumed that the new trilogy will not be similar to Halo DS and Halo Wars. Halo Wars was already an active RTS game and Microsoft would have announced a Halo Wars 2 instead of Halo 4. Halo DS was meant for the Nintendo DS and it was already mentioned that Halo 4 will release on the Xbox 360. That leaves only Halo Chronicles and the Halo MMO. Halo Chronicles was to be a story-based game (probably similar to Heavy Rain) and directed by Peter Jackson. The Halo MMO was to be a (as its title suggests) a massive multiplayer online game. If 343 Industries uses either of these two games as the basis for Halo 4, then it would either an interactive story or a WoW that takes place in the Halo Universe.
We may never know what type of game Halo 4 and the new trilogy will be until its release, but at least we have an idea. It could be an interactive story, an FPS, an MMO or something drastically different.
ANSWER 2
The original Halo Trilogy ended with the Covenant disbanded, the Flood contained, the UNSC and her colonies rebuilding, and, most notably, John-117 and Cortana drifting in the remnants of a space vessel into the unknown. Most games, novels, comics, and other Halo-related products have since taken place before the end of Halo 3. There were some taking place after Halo 3, but did not expand the original trilogy significantly. What comes after is unmapped territory. Also, virtually all of the conflicts of the Halo Universe have been solved in Halo 3. What kind of story could Halo 4 be if there is no apparent conflict to set it in motion? Let us take a look at the various enemies in the Halo Universe, who are the obvious sources of potential conflict. They include the Insurrectionists, the Covenant, the Flood, and Forerunner Remnants. The Insurrectionists are rebels of the outer colonies who opposed the reign of the UNSC. They were the reason the SPARTAN program was begun, because of the damage they were doing to UNSC forces. The Covenant is a union of several alien species bent on finding Forerunner relics and, for a short time, the destruction of humanity. The Flood is a parasitic life-form that seeks to devour all life in the galaxy. The Forerunner Remnants (Sentinels, Monitors) were machines designed by the Forerunners to guard their facilities and contain the Flood in their absence. The Insurrectionists cannot be the main enemy of the new trilogy due to the "tractor beam" in the trailer. They do not have such technology. The Covenant is a possible enemy, but, according to the comics and novels, it started to fall apart. That is because the Elites were attempting to destroy all remnants of the Covenant that were influenced by the Prophets and Brutes. The Flood and Forerunner Remnants are the only two possibilities. The Flood, with their unique ability to take control of mind and machine, could have attracted Master Chief's vessel using the "tractor beam" so as to leave the facility and spread across the galaxy. Or, maybe the Sentinels and Monitors needed a human in order to activate some sort of device (most likely Halo) and needed to lure in Master Chief.
The story, based upon the most probable enemies, would be either about Master Chief and Cortana trying to escape the Flood or trying to stop another Halo or other destructive device from being activated.
ANSWER 3
It is now time to look at the Announcement Trailer itself. Besides the "tractor beam," there were some other items that I took notice of: The modifiable Magnum and Jetpack. The Magnum appears to be able to have a grenade launcher attachment as evidenced by Master Chief blasting a door in the vessel. Also, when Master Chief steps outside the vessel, he attaches some sort of silencer. The ability to modify these guns could mean one of two things. Halo 4 and the trilogy could be an FPS with custom classes (like in Call of Duty) or an RPG-shooter (because weapon customization is also possible in this genre). The Jetpack used by John-117 to fly through the vessel indicates that special upgrades can be made to the player's suit as well. It could be similar to the Perks of Call of Duty, the abilities in an RPG, or simply an updated version of the abilities in Halo Reach. The film of the trailer also gives some hints of its genre. To me, it seemed grittier and serious-toned. I believe so because the film of the announcement trailer was similar to the Announcement Trailer of the new Tomb Raider, which was planned to give its players a grittier and more serious gameplay. If Halo 4 and the new trilogy could be judged by its film, then it would be more serious than other the other Halos.
I have made as much speculation as possible based upon what I know. Now it is your turn. What do you speculate about Halo 4 and the new trilogy?
[Edited on 06.07.2011 12:22 PM PDT]