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Subject: [HALO 4] ~ Analysis of NEW information from OXM

By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

I can't believe that we all missed this, or at least there's been no mention of it IIRC. Anyways, I'm going to do a breakdown of an OXM interview about Halo 4.

OXM Q&A: Halo 4 - part I
OXM Q&A: Halo 4 - part II
OXM Q&A: Halo 4 - part III


Let's begin...



We'll start with the obvious. Halo 4 picks up immediately after Halo 3's Legendary Ending where we see the aft of the Dawn tumbling towards the Legendary Planet.
"...it'll follow on from the events of Halo 3 when you complete it on Legendary. The "Legendary Planet" glimpsed after Master Chief goes into hibernation aboard the ruptured Forward Unto Dawn is the same structure you see at the close of the Halo 4 Awakening trailer."

We're practically guaranteed that John will be the only Spartan in Halo 4, 343i have noted "fan displeasure" over the fact that John played no part in Reach. Generally, I think the sales speak for themselves; the games with John in have sold better than those without, obviously ODST was an expansion and Wars was an RTS but ultimately this has taught 343i that the path to further widespread success is sticking to the core foundation of the series.
"Yes, he's still the hero... aware of fan displeasure over the Chief's absence in Bungie's final Halo game, Microsoft and 343 are focussing squarely on John 117 this time."

And, as has been said before, John has 'changed' in some capacity.
"...there's evidence to the effect that Chief has undergone a psychological shift, with 343 staff hinting at "different behaviours". It's possible all that time in cryo-sleep has done nasty things to John's brainbox. It's also possible the years of Grunt-popping and Elite-dicing are beginning to drag on his subconscious. Don't forget - Spartan training is hell on earth, and the Chief hasn't exactly had it easy since he graduated."

This is what I like to hear. John is suffering from a degree of psychological trauma after fighting almost non-stop for decades, it's all finally weighing down upon him, much like the information Cortana absorbed from Halo began to weigh down on her in First Strike when she began to process it all. This certainly looks like interesting territory we'll be moving into in terms of how John will develop as a character.

But we're assured that there's not going to be any drastic personality changes to rival Twilight in terms of angsty teen-slitwristery.
"We're not expecting a "dark" Chief or anything similarly contrived, mind. The man's blank-tablet impassivity is key to Halo. The last thing anybody wants him doing is manifesting hidden depths."

But, following this...
"Cortana, on the other hand..."

Let's talk about Cortana for a minute. She's been through a lot since Halo CE:

- Absorbed all the information from Installation 04's Control Room, found it difficult to process all of it and it started to weigh her down.

- Went through a rough spot in First Strike where John started to note that she was acting differently, her tone of voice towards him and actions seemed a little off.

- Made hundreds of copies of herself that all turned rampant within seconds attempting to combat a 'Covenant' AI aboard the Unyielding Hierophant.

- Went through a very traumatic time with the Gravemind when she was left behind on High Charity, as we saw in Human Weakness (penned by the indomitably grey Karen Traviss) where she began to really question her role in events and built up a hatred for Halsey. We can account this for the melancholy stage of rampancy, a state she seemingly escaped when she was rescued by John.

- Returned to her state of melancholy aboard the Dawn whilst John was in cryo. She lamented the loss of so many lives in the Human-Covenant war (and the wars before that) and discovered that it was human instinct to want to fight.

So, what do 343i say about what's next for Cortana?
"Well, she's an AI. AIs enter a state of Rampancy after seven years on the go - symptoms include delusions of grandeur, hatred of constraints, hatred of one's maker - and Cortana's lived a more... interesting life than most. She seems fairly compos mentis in the Awakening trailer, but let's not forget that she spent much of Halo 3 being cyber-tortured by the Flood Gravemind, and that she's absorbed massive chunks of Covenant and Forerunner data. That's an incredibly potent mixture, and the effects will be interesting to watch. She may push through to the hypothetical fourth stage of Rampancy, 'metastability', becoming a true person. Or she may "turn evil", as the kids put it."

This more or less covers the recap I just did, ultimately Cortana has reached a break in the path where she can only go one of two directions. Left or right? Rampancy or metastability? Evidently, this is going to be a very significant aspect of the Reclaimer Trilogy as a whole and has the potential to really change the dynamic of her relationship with John.

When asked if Cortana could be an antagonist...
"It's possible! But don't quote us on that."

So let's move on to something very significant now - the role of the Flood and the Covenant. Again, let's recap.

Flood:
- 'Local infestation' eradicated by the destruction of Installation 04B and [seemingly] the Ark.

- Gravemind is gone, for now at least as he states that his return has only been delayed. Given what we learn in Primordium, I think it's very possible that he's echoing the role of the Timeless One where "you must destroy this servant so another can take its place".

Covenant:
- The death of Truth led to the dissolution of the Covenant. The client races disbanded, going back to their original routes as they could no longer be controlled by fear at the hand of the Prophets.

- Prophets have mysteriously vanished somewhere, abandoning the Brutes in a vicious war of attrition against the Elites (the Great Schism). They're also descending into another civil war between tribes, the last time this happened they blasted their way back from Tier 4 to Tier 7, so it's not looking good for the Brutes.

And, as of now, I can officially confirm that the Flood will be making a return in Halo 4, or at some point in the Reclaimer Trilogy.
"The Flood are an unrelenting, implacable threat, and there are plenty of infected Halo installations, ships and planets out there besides the now-defunct Ark and Installation 04, so expect them to make a full return."

And so what can we expect that will break the mould to make this something unique?
"The Flood are highly adaptable, remember, stealing traits and know-how from any lifeform they assimilate. And assuming they show up, the Covenant probably have a few tricks up their sleeves, races or technology we haven't seen yet. Halo: Reach gave us new breeds of Jackal. There's talk in Joe Staten's Halo novel Contact Harvest of swords made from the same material as Needler ammunition. Watch this space. The real threat, though, may be the Forerunners."

So here we've got hints at new types of Flood, new weaponry turning up and the [possible] threat of the Forerunners bearing down upon us.

Going back to what was said at Halo fest about the Forerunners:
"According to 343's senior art director Kenneth Scott, the developer is 'investing heavily in the look and feel of Forerunner. The thing that connected people initially way back in the first Halo experience is that mystery. That's where a lot of our pressure in the art team is going right now. We want the people to feel that initial experience of discovery.'

"...those facilities may not be populated by robot Sentinels and Enforcers alone. O'Connor told audiences: 'You've lived with inert, static Forerunner abandoned structures. It's going to be really interesting to see a different aspect of Forerunner engineering and Forerunner architecture when it's not completely inert and dead and empty.'"


So we know that Sentinels and Enforcers will be making a return, and it's pretty clear that the Forerunners are going to be coming back too.

As for the UNSC and the role they'll play.
"If the Covenant put in an encore, humanity won't be far behind. The Chief will probably need an exit strategy."

So, from this, we can probably garner that Halo 4 is going to have a large build up of conflict between humanity, the Flood, the Forerunners and remnants of the Covenant. This also goes on to explain a few things about the weapons.

"Well, we're sure the Forward Unto Dawn has an arsenal... and we suspect that arsenal will contain a few prototype guns."

...

Beyond that, we're sure the Forerunners have a few gizmos knocking around, and the second the Covenant turn their guns on you, we're sure you'll be able to turn their guns on them.


More or less confirmation that we will be using an arsenal of Forerunner weaponry against enemies, which seems to be shaping up to be the Covenant as one of the primary antagonists.


So there you have it. There's quite a lot of new information in that to digest.

Thoughts?

[Edited on 02.13.2012 9:06 AM PST]

  • 02.13.2012 9:06 AM PDT

Friends before pixels.

Welp.

I think it was 2 hours before the midnight release of ODST that I was this excited...

COME ON FALL QUARTER COME FASTER!

  • 02.13.2012 9:36 AM PDT

lots of info


lol

  • 02.13.2012 9:36 AM PDT

We'll start with the obvious. Halo 4 picks up immediately after Halo 3's Legendary Ending where we see the aft of the Dawn tumbling towards the Legendary Planet.

They are just saying that nothing happened between the ending of halo 3 and halo 4 but still 3 years have passed.

It's possible all that time in cryo-sleep has done nasty things to John's brainbox.

  • 02.13.2012 10:05 AM PDT

Wow! Nice work digging all that up! Halo 4 can't come soon enough!

  • 02.13.2012 10:08 AM PDT

Posted by: Primum Agmen
A tosser is the same as a wanker. To toss oneself off is to fondle the trouser weasel.


Current Gamertag:
JesusWasAHindu

Damn ajw34307 you are always the first with these things!

  • 02.13.2012 10:17 AM PDT

Vengeance only leads to an ongoing cycle of hatred.

I'm not sure if I'm too big on the Covenant being the main antagonist yet again. I hope they really explore The Flood as the potential enemy it is. Nevertheless, I really like what I'm hearing. Halo 4 has incredible potential and the Reclaimer Trilogy as a whole has the potential to be better than the original trilogy by a longshot. Can't wait to see what 343 has in store for us. Hopefully they won't disappoint.

  • 02.13.2012 12:28 PM PDT

yas334229812

I do not know i have the feeling that the covenant and unsc will be forced to join together and fight this ancient enemy like the races in mass effect are.

  • 02.13.2012 12:37 PM PDT

@accordingto343

Your one stop shop for all of 343's fabulous errors and ridiculous notions in the Halo lore.

Up until this point, Bungie and 343 really seemed to have no problem implying the Covenant is deader than -blam!-. I have to wonder why there is this resurgence to bring them back...again.

  • 02.13.2012 12:41 PM PDT
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I WANT TO PRE- ORDER.....


BUT I CAN'T.......

NOT AFTER REACH.......

  • 02.13.2012 12:47 PM PDT
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Do not waste your tears, I was not born to watch the world grow dim. Life is not measured in years, but by the deeds of men.

Posted by: goldhawk
We should know better, because we are better.

The Covenant may be coming back? They are like the Joker, you can never completely finish them off. I wish they ended when Truth died.

[Edited on 02.13.2012 12:49 PM PST]

  • 02.13.2012 12:48 PM PDT

yas334229812


Posted by: DecepticonCobra
Up until this point, Bungie and 343 really seemed to have no problem implying the Covenant is deader than -blam!-. I have to wonder why there is this resurgence to bring them back...again.

What is the definition of the Covenant, does it mean client races. And yes they may be dead, and not working but they still exist in a loose way of saying.

  • 02.13.2012 1:52 PM PDT

@accordingto343

Your one stop shop for all of 343's fabulous errors and ridiculous notions in the Halo lore.

Posted by: risay_117

Posted by: DecepticonCobra
Up until this point, Bungie and 343 really seemed to have no problem implying the Covenant is deader than -blam!-. I have to wonder why there is this resurgence to bring them back...again.

What is the definition of the Covenant, does it mean client races. And yes they may be dead, and not working but they still exist in a loose way of saying.


The organization known as the Covenant no longer exists.

  • 02.13.2012 1:54 PM PDT


Posted by: DecepticonCobra
Posted by: risay_117

Posted by: DecepticonCobra
Up until this point, Bungie and 343 really seemed to have no problem implying the Covenant is deader than -blam!-. I have to wonder why there is this resurgence to bring them back...again.

What is the definition of the Covenant, does it mean client races. And yes they may be dead, and not working but they still exist in a loose way of saying.


The organization known as the Covenant no longer exists.


Maybe just the Sanghelli will join alliances with the UNSC or something?

  • 02.13.2012 2:14 PM PDT




The organization known as the Covenant no longer exists. [/quote]


So you say...
The races may reband and resume their genocide. It is unlikely but it can still happen. You could imagine the resentment toward the UNSC from these races. After all, humanity now has an empire to keep in check.

  • 02.13.2012 2:17 PM PDT

Posted by:ScubaToaster
Posted by: HipiO7
This man, this man right here put it so eloquently that I actually cancelled my own 2000+ word long post.
/slow clap for respect


:)
The person who said participating is important, not winning, obviously never won anything.

I read this earlier this morning in the Flood.

About Cortana being the antagonist... It reminds of an article on some magazine before Halo 2 was released that said that Bungie had an idea of making Cortana the secret leader of the Flood. Of course, that was before they made the Gravemind, but who knows.

With Cortana in her rampancy and after having spent so much time with the Gravemind, she might defect to the Flood like MB did.
But if she did, something tells me that she wouldn't hurt the Chief out of some of her love for him would still remain... Or she'd want him absorbed into the Flood as a way to take better care of him and blah blah blah.

  • 02.13.2012 2:36 PM PDT

Mate; this isn't information, it's mostly speculation. You're quoting journalists and treating their word as gospel; this is the same magazine which told us we'd definitely be flying Pelicans in Halo 3.

  • 02.13.2012 2:48 PM PDT

I hope you realize that this is all speculation on OXMs part, but your part on "I can officially confirm the Flood is back" gives me reason to think otherwise. It was posted in the Flood weeks ago, but it was passed off when they realized it was speculation. Good speculation at that, but nothing truly official.

^^Damn, beat me to it.

[Edited on 02.13.2012 3:01 PM PST]

  • 02.13.2012 3:00 PM PDT
  •  | 
  • Exalted Legendary Member

Oh goodie the flood are back, time to get my shotgun out again. This was sarcasm BTW.

  • 02.13.2012 3:07 PM PDT

By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

Sodding hell, I seem to have made a bit of a fool of myself. :P

  • 02.13.2012 3:07 PM PDT

Classic Wankford.

  • 02.13.2012 3:42 PM PDT

By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

Shut it, Swine Flu... :P

  • 02.13.2012 3:47 PM PDT

8/5/08 Bungie Favorites- NoEnd
7/1/09 Bungie Favorites- RECON Devil
9/9/09 Bungie Favorites- Champion
5/22/10 HaloCharts Favs- Prey

Interesting, very interesting. If it does come out Christmas 2012 I expect more information to come up around the Summer.

  • 02.13.2012 5:04 PM PDT

We’re flawed because we want so much more. We’re ruined because we get these things and wish for what we had.


Posted by: ajw34307
Shut it, Swine Flu... :P

Wut
Also glad to hear that John might not be so 2D in this game.

  • 02.13.2012 5:24 PM PDT

Expressing my strong liberal views without shame. Favorite quotes below:

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."
"One starts to live when he can live outside himself."

- Albert Einstein

Nice work on collating all that information.

I think the most interesting aspect is the exploration of John as a character. In the novels, he has been two-dimensional at best, with only a couple distinct traits. Hopefully the writers find the right balance between reserving his familiar personality while adding significant dimensionality tot he character. Not an easy task, but hopefully 343i can live up to the momentous task.

  • 02.13.2012 5:54 PM PDT

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