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Halo 4: Our hopes & fears heading into the next trilogy
At first, the idea of a new Halo trilogy ignited our inner skeptic. The ending of Halo 3 was just so brilliantly bittersweet — Master Chief literally said, “It’s finished.” But after seeing Chief back in action during the Halo 4 teaser-trailer, we instantly became believers. Now that the series is starting fresh with a brand-new developer — 343 Industries — there are plenty of opportunities for both triumphant successes and colossal failures. Consider this our Cortana-like strategic advice for 343 in what we do and don’t want to see in the next epic adventure.
Hope: Cooperative Co-op
As much as we adore four-player Halo, the co-op in each game hasn’t been terribly, well, cooperative. Sorry, Arby — nobody really cared about you because you didn’t do anything. In Halo 3, Master Chief was central to the story, so Player 1 was always in the spotlight; supporting Players 2 through 4 were just there to absorb bullets, help with respawning, and then completely vanish during cinematics. In Halo 4, we’d love to rely on other characters’ abilities in a campaign where ol’ John isn’t the only one hogging our affection.
Fear: Kinect
We can get behind dancing, exercising, and fruit-slicing, but please, for the sake of all that is Halo, keep Kinect as far from Halo 4 as possible. The Combat Evolved remake (343’s other project) uses the device in a few dissapointing ways, including menu navigation and yelling orders at Master Chief. We don’t want voice-commands, we don’t want reload and melee gestures, and we don’t want to have to stand up. If you want to make more Halo, please do — just without adding anything to get in the way of our jetpack assassinations.
Hope: A New Enemy
We don’t know where in the universe Master Chief even ended up, but we’re hoping it’s far away from everything we already know about Halo. We’d love to see 343 take a stab at some kind of new threat to replace the Covenant: that fight is over. We’re not exactly sure what we’d like to see instead, but falling back on the old stuff is weak. That weird Death Star thing sure looks like Forerunner architecture, so maybe we’ll take on the Ancients (or whatever they’ve evolved into)?
Fear: The Flood
We were totally over the Flood by the time the credits rolled for Halo: Combat Evolved, and we’re not exactly enthused about seeing them again in Halo: Anniversary. Their appearances in Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo Wars were overkill. If they show up in Halo 4, we can’t be held responsible for our actions. Fighting the Flood’s huge numbers is tedious and annoying; let’s focus on any other threat.
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haloFTW
March 11, 2012 at 9:34am
I really hope they put in a ton of easter eggs, ones that are hard to find. Halo 3 had 40+ and that was one of the most fun things about the game.
Murphyslaw0013
November 18, 2011 at 4:02pm
There is nothing to fear on Halo 4, 343 will do a great job. #OXMHaloContest
NBA Kirkland
November 18, 2011 at 3:14pm
I have full confidence in 343i. They have a lot of talented people. Halo could use a fresh set of eyes at this point anyway. #OXMHaloContest
rogXue
November 18, 2011 at 12:54pm
My fear is that they will just say screw it and piss all over the previous stories. Unfounded but it's still there... #OXMHaloContest
stealth202
November 18, 2011 at 12:13pm
Based on what I have read from some of the halo books I definetly think that chief will meet up with some other spartans II's in the next trilogy. There are a few of them still alive. It would be a great twist to the story and could really at the more team based co-op feature you guys hope to see. I don't think there is any doubt the forerunners will also become an intricate part of the new series. My main concern is that they don't change the campaign style to much. I don't want chief flying around with a jet pack. It just doesn't feel like him. Adding sprint would be okay with me, but I want it to feel more like im playing halo 3 when I play the campaign not halo reach. #OXMHaloContest
ptc
November 18, 2011 at 10:08am
I'm looking forward to whatever Halo 4 brings. Disagree re: Kinect, I'd love to see some thoughful and unique Kinect integration (but not required). My favorite Halo's in order: 1. Reach 2. ODST 3. Halo 3. #OXMHaloContest
Kamikaze102
November 18, 2011 at 7:37am
As a Halo fan, I absolutely adore the Halo books. For Halo 4, I would love, love, love to see the rest of Master Chief's Spartan Blue Team, as well as the remaining survivors and Spartan III's from the Ghosts of Onyx story arch. One of the most common misconceptions about Halo is that Master Chief, Spartan-117 is the last remaining Spartan. Sure, most of the Spartans died at the battle of Reach, and various other missions throughout the galaxy, but to say Master Chief is the last living Spartan [II]? Absolutely untrue. Reading The Fall of Reach has made me want to meet Blue Team up and close ever since Halo 2. I remember getting excited because I was thinking we'd get to meet some other Spartans because Blue Team was present in the Battle of Earth in the novels. Disappointingly, the Video Game's try to stick as much as possible to the "Master Chief is the last remaining Spartan". This is where I honestly think Halo 4 could be an epic achievement. Bridging the gap between the video game arch (Master Chief and Cortana's story) and melding it together with the novelizations (The Books, most importantly, Ghosts of Onyx, and Glasslands. To see a perfect synergy between these two mediums and bringing it all together would blow any Halo fan's mind away. Long live Blue Team! :) #OXMHaloContest
Romar
November 17, 2011 at 11:16pm
I really just hope that the pistol returns in some fashion. I know some players didn't like it's use in Halo:Reach but I think that a true glorified version of the original pistol would be amazing for MP. #OXMHaloContest
Three5Nines
November 17, 2011 at 10:17pm
I am going to have to disagre. I want more campaing. The longer the better.#OXMHaloContest
Tandar1
November 17, 2011 at 9:31pm
Althought I'm always up for a new Halo, I feel like it is beginning down the COD trend of releasing a new game every other year or so. Give it a little rest and start focusing more on the movie! #OXMHaloContest
Bionic92
November 17, 2011 at 8:12pm
I agree that the game shouldn't rely on Kinect heavily, if at all. Though it is likely that Kinect will be integrated into the game through some way. Hopefully it would be better than what is in Halo: Anniversary. I also agree that Master Chief should have more dialogue, as long as it's not overly done. #OXMHaloContest
dranger1291
November 17, 2011 at 7:16pm
Stay away from the kinect for sure. When I heard that the next Fable would be for Kinect I was less than impressed. Also a new enemy would be great. The flood was fun but it would be great to see somthing knew. Better Co-op would be a major plus in my book, my friends and I have Halo parties all the time and play through the campaigns. #OXMHaloContest
rabidburrit777
November 17, 2011 at 6:55pm
Well i agree with WorldContainer on this because kinect doesnt always respond like it should. not saying that the kinect is bad but i think they shouldimprove the kinect before they think about this again.#OXMHaloContest
AstYak
November 17, 2011 at 6:55pm
I've gotta agree with the flood. They're boring enemies, and I'd like to never see them again in a game. #oxmhalocontest
Joyous Fury
March 07, 2012 at 4:44pm
actually, i love the flood, but not the Halo 3 version. Because they are suicidal and come in great numbers and (in Halo1-2) carry less weapons than a Covenant squad, not to mention they couldn't aim. This meant a lot more standing out in the open and fighting frantically, or running and gunning in 343GS(the first appearance). Regardless of how much more tedious they are in Halo 3, Cortana was actually my second favorite mission; unlike previous missions Bungie just said "here is your shotgun, rocket launcher, and flamethrower, sick em boy!" Thus creating an awesome feel of plunging into an exremely hostile enviroment decked out with guns and equipement. I would very much like to see the Flood return for more than a few missions as they completely change the gameplay. I would settle- however- for simply having two opposing forces that fight in different ways. I also want to see both sides actually using ODST troops in battle again like in Halo 2, not just a handful of missions.
WorldContainer
November 17, 2011 at 6:44pm
I agree about the Kinect thing. microsoft should keep the Halo franchise and Kinect far away from each other. I love my Kinect, but this isn't the right vehicle.
volcane2004
November 17, 2011 at 4:21pm
From what I've seen in the Halo Anniversary terminals, I like where the story is heading! #OXMHaloContest
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