Halo 4

"Wake up, John."

- Official tagline

Halo 4 will be the upcoming eighth installment, and the seventh main installment (not including Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition) in the best-selling Halo franchise. The game was first revealed on Microsoft's homepage hours before the start of their E3 press conference, due to a mistake by the editing department, which revealed Halo 4 and Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition. The game was officially announced at the end of Microsoft's E3 2011 press conference. and is the start of a new trilogy called the Reclaimer trilogy, developed by 343 Industries, Microsoft's new internal development studio.

The game is scheduled to be released on November 6, 2012, following the release of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary on November 15, 2011.

It has been confirmed that the Covenant will return, but 343 Industries has stated that they will be "the least of your problems." As of March 7, 2012, there are no plans for a Halo 4 Beta.

Multiplayer
A video released by 343 Industries revealed some of the multiplayer of Halo 4.

The maps to be featured in Halo 4 will not be based upon campaign levels but will be designed from the ground-up with competitive gameplay in mind instead.

Gameplay will feature something that resembles a perk system and some armor abilities will return, though in a slightly different way. 343 Industries has also confirmed that multiplayer gameplay will be linked to in-game fiction; War Games being vast simulated training grounds for Spartan-IVs as part of their preparation for Spartan Ops, missions which take place 6 months after the conclusion of the campaign.

Confirmed Multiplayer Maps

 * Adrift
 * Haven
 * Longbow
 * Exile
 * Ravine



Recently broadcasted gameplay from MLG and RTX revealed much about the multiplayer aspect of Halo 4. The Battle Rifle was one of the first weapons confirmed, with its counterpart the DMR revealed later. The Covenant Carbine will also return, supplanting the Needle Rifle introduced in Halo: Reach. A number of new weapons have been disclosed, though this number will undoubtedly rise before the game is launched.



Similar to SPARTAN-IIIs in Halo: Reach, in Halo 4's multiplayer now called "War Games", the player takes control of SPARTAN-IVs, and armor customization has been confirmed from gameplay, which revealed the large scale of artistic variety between the armor variants. Additionally, the return of gender customization has been confirmed. Unlike previous Halo instalments, the Red and Blue teams will have a legitimate reason for fighting each other. The contains a highly advanced simulator where SPARTAN-IVs fight against each other in unique environments to keep them constantly battle-ready. A greater degree of team customization is present in Halo 4: MLG gameplay footage featured Team Demon and Team Fury bearing a wolf and unicorn emblem respectively.

Other Matchmaking Changes
Additional changes to the multiplayer from Halo: Reach include a modified score tracking system, with kills now confirmed to be worth 10 "points", with multiplayer games now going up to as much as 600 points. Points can also be earned for assist, killing sprees, and even distracting the enemy. The health bar from Halo: Reach has been removed, possibly indicating the removal of health packs. The Motion Tracker has been confirmed to be "three dimensional", and differentiates enemies and friendlies on radar based on their elevation. Overall, the HUD looks closer to Halo 3 HUD.

The most important thing that was changed is custom loadouts. Instead of giving the player loadout choices that are pre-selected a la Halo: Reach, the player can customize their own personal loadouts to a far greater degree, allowing the player to tune and tweak their loadouts according to their preferred playstyle. There are 5 custom loadouts which need to be unlocked by ranking up.

This is what the custom loadout consists of:
 * Primary Weapon
 * Secondary Weapon
 * Grenade
 * Armor Ability
 * Tactical Package
 * Support Upgrade

A new key feature is "Infinity Ordnance" that drops anywhere on the map. Power weapons no longer have a set spawn: instead, they can spawn anywhere on the map. For example, a sniper rifle that was previously leaning on the wall may spawn elsewhere after pickup or respawn as a rocket launcher. The main goal is to discourage camping near power weapon spawns and encourage fluid, dynamic gameplay instead of concentrated hotspots and killzones.

Another feature is "Personal Ordnance" which is similar to the Infinity Ordnance but is influenced by individual player performance. By earning medals, players fill up a personal meter. These medals can be earned by completing various tasks like getting kills, performing support tasks like capturing/defending the objective, and getting kill assists/distractions. Once the Personal Ordnance meter is full, a player can call in Personal Ordnance on his location. Unlike Infinity Ordnance which drops either weapons or grenades, Personal Ordnance gives the player three choices: a power weapon, grenades and a powerup. There are three power ups: the Over Shield, a Damage Boost and a Speed Boost (which also decreases the time taken to reload). The only drawback of Personal Ordnance is that the requirements for your second or third one in the same game are bumped to 30% for each successive ordnance you call in.

Unlike previous Halo games, when a player gets a Killing Spree or a Headshot, the words will appear in the middle of the screen in small white text under to the reticule, as opposed to near the killfeed. A video of this was shown here.

Capture The Flag and Oddball will return to Halo 4. 343 stated that "Old/Classic gametypes will feel fresh". Halo Multiplayer will return with its max player count in one game at 16. 343 say they "want Halo 4 to be really fast-paced".

Spartan Ops
In a Game Informer article, 343i announced that Firefight will not be included in Halo 4. Instead, Firefight will be replaced by a new game mode called Spartan Ops, which is a episodic co-op series following the missions of the Spartan-IVs and the UNSC Infinity. 343i has said that there will be new missions uploaded to Halo Waypoint on a weekly basis and fans will not have to pay for them, unlike other DLC (at least for the first season, consisting of 50 missions). Spartan Ops will also feature difficulty changes and four-player co-op. Spartan Ops and matchmaking will directly tie into each other.

343i has said that while it is recommended to play with others, Spartan Ops can be played alone as well.
 * In the video here, Halo 4 creative director Josh Holmes and Spartan Ops lead designer Chris Haluke describe the new game mode.

Forge
At RTX 2012, 343i presented a demo of Halo 4's Forge mode. At the moment, Halo 4's Forge appears very much like Halo: Reach except with a few helpful additions. First of all, The object now becomes highlighted as you center your cursor on the object and a small box of text with the object title appears below the reticule. This ensures you do not accidentally move the wrong object. Additionally, there is now a "magnet" system which allows objects to easily align with other forged objects to make a smoother map. There's also a lock feature, which allows objects to remain immoveable until unlocked, and a duplicate feature, which allows easy copying of a piece without returning to the menu.

343 also announced that there will be three new Forge World-like maps and much of the same objects are returning, while still adding numerous other objects. The budget has also increased to 1,000,000 but some objects have a higher price.

Halo 4's Forge mode will also contain a new feature called dynamic lighting. This feature allows a forge piece to accept shadows from the environment and cast shadows on the environment when the player switches to player mode.

During the demo, the new trait zones were also displayed. A trait zone is similar to any of the zones in Reach, where the player defines the shape and size of the zone, but in a trait zone, you can define a set of base player traits (speed, jump height, appearance, damage taken/done) that would occur only in that area.

It was also announced that the player is able to set a theme for the map, although at the moment, it is unclear what that will do.

Finally, 343 announced that there will not be an undo feature, as implementing it would take too much time and resources. There will also not be any weather settings.

Pre-Order Bonuses
It has been confirmed that there will be numerous pre-order bonuses. The following table lists the items received from all participating retailers.

Limited Collector's Edition
A limited collector's edition of the game was announced by 343 Industries on May 16, 2012. 343 Industries also confirmed that there are no plans to launch a Legendary Edition. The Limited Edition is set to be launched on November 6, 2012, at a cost of $99.99 or £64.99 GBP.



Halo 4 Limited Edition contains:
 * Bonus in-fiction bonus content expanding the characters and stories of Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn and their connections to Halo 4.
 * Special Featurette: Bringing Gaming into Reality.
 * Making of Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn.
 * Bonus digital content through Xbox LIVE:
 * Unique in-game Spartan IV armor skin.
 * Unique in-game weapon skin for the Assault Rifle.
 * An exclusive in-game emblem.
 * Xbox LIVE Avatar prop.
 * Xbox LIVE Avatar Spartan IV armor set.
 * The Limited Edition also contains the UNSC Infinity Briefing Packet which includes a Spartan armor customization schematic, an introduction to the massive ship UNSC Infinity, and insight into what it means to be one of humanity's finest warriors: The Spartan IVs.
 * War Games Map Pack Pass: The Limited Edition includes access to nine maps - three future competitive multiplayer map packs, each including three locations, available for download post-launch on Xbox LIVE. Content also consists of 2 exclusive helmets, the "Scanner" and "Strider" helmets, and the "Falcon" in-game emblem.
 * Specializations: Receive early access to six Specializations, available at launch on Xbox LIVE, and use them, one at a time, to achieve higher ranks in your Spartan career. In addition to gaining access to new ranks, Specializations unlock new customization options.
 * The Special Edition of Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, a 90-minute extended version of the live-action digital series which will take fans back to the terrifying beginning of the Human/Covenant war, when the Master Chief inspired a young cadet who would eventually become a leader aboard the UNSC's greatest vessel ever: the UNSC Infinity.

Limited Edition Halo 4 Console Bundle
A limited edition Halo 4 Xbox 360 slim edition was announced at the San Diego Comic-Con this year, and is currently available for pre-order. The bundle will contain:




 * Halo 4
 * Wired headset
 * 320GB hard drive
 * Built-in Wi-Fi (exclusive to all Xbox 360 slims)
 * Xbox LIVE tokens for exclusive Halo 4 in-game and avatar marketplace downloadable content

The bundle will be available to buy on the 6th November 2012 at the cost of $399.99 U.S. ERP or £269.99 GBP.

The console and controllers will feature an exclusive blue glow to the Xbox button ring, and the controller center button; these are usually green.

Limited Edition Halo 4 Controller
Along with the Limited Edition Halo 4 Console Bundle, a limited edition Halo 4 controller was announced. This product will be available by the 21st October 2012 and is priced at $59.99 (U.S. ERP).

The controller will feature a different design to those of the Limited Edition Halo 4 Console Bundle, with a United Nations Space Command (UNSC) emblem on a dark grey translucent body. The controller will include an Avatar T-shirt as exclusive downloadable content.

Awakening


In the teaser, John-117, asleep in his cryo-chamber, awakens as Cortana shouts for him to wake up. Although slow to wake from his stasis (as is normal for cryo-sleep), the Chief energetically snaps into action. He gets out of the tube and approaches Cortana, reassuring her that he is awake and present. An explosion reverberates through the hull, cutting their brief reunion short and alerting John to the danger of the situation. With little time to lose, he transfers Cortana to her data chip and exits the room, drifting weightlessly through the disintegrating interior of the with the aid of a thruster pack. As he maneuvers through the debris-filled corridor, he grabs a M363 Remote Projectile Detonator that fires off single-use explosive projectiles. He uses the weapon to blast open an opening in the aft section of the ship. Exiting through the torn section, John prepares to face whatever warranted his awakening, as the Dawn approaches Requiem with a massive portal on the surface of the shield world opening.

John's armor has taken on several aesthetic changes. The details have been increased and the look and feel has changed, although still remaining similar to the Halo 3 Mark VI armor. This is probably because 343 Industries didn't want to stray too far from the original armor of Halo 2 and Halo 3. Though the same, the armor looks a little different (in the teaser-trailer). The shoulder-pieces appear to be different from the original Mark VI version in Halo 2 and Halo 3. 343 Industries said there's an actual story reason for the armor change.

An "ancient evil" was stated to be the enemy in Halo 4 at E3 2012. This ancient evil was revealed as Prometheans at E3. In addition, the symbol in the background appeared to be the symbol for the Didact (a powerful Promethean) and possibly the Didact's voice in the background saying, "I have long dreamt of this day, Reclaimer". Which would make him the main antagonist of the game. This is assumed because the symbol closely resembles the Forerunner symbol for the Didact.

A video was released at Halo Fest showcasing concept art of a humanoid creature. What this creature may be has yet to be revealed. Many fans at first thought the creature to be a Precursor. The flashing images of the creature had major similarities to a Precursor. But now it is believed to be concept art of the Promethean Knight. But it has yet to be revealed.

In Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, during one of the Terminals, 343 briefly talks about the Didact's plan in case the Halo rings did not succeed. This could have some indication to the Forerunner planet at the end of Halo 3. However, this could also be referring to the Shield Installations, since the Didact campaigned the use of Shield Worlds as opposed to the Halo Array.

Preview photos of Grunts wearing much less armor than in previous Halo games were shown in one of IGDaily's YouTube videos. These Grunts seem to not be wearing their masks, but they do have their methane tanks present on their backs. There is a strange tube connect from the left sides of their heads and to their left eyes on their helmets. They look similar to the Halo 2 Grunt picture with the alien maskless, showing its sharp teeth. These pictures depict Grunts more as vicious creatures, rather than minor alien infantry that run away when their squad leader dies in battle.

Plot
"Set in the aftermath of Halo 3, Master Chief returns to confront his own destiny and face an ancient evil that threatens the fate of the entire universe. Halo 4 marks the start of a new trilogy that begins with its release in 2012."

- Official summary

Halo 4 marks the return of John-117 as a playable protagonist after three Halo games focusing on different sets of characters. Having been lost in space in the finale of Halo 3, John-117 and Cortana, adrift aboard the wreckage of the, find themselves near a mysterious planet first seen in the Legendary ending of Halo 3. It has been confirmed that there is 8 missions in the campaign.

It has been noted that the Forerunner Saga novel Halo: Primordium, the post-war novel Halo: Glasslands, as well as the terminals in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, will "definitely" have "resonant connections" to Halo 4 ' s story.

It was confirmed the game would take place in "2557 . Four years, seven months and ten days" since the end of Halo 3.

According to Machina Respawn's E3 2012 Video about Halo 4, the UNSC Infinity isn't part of the campaign in the first few missions. They also stated that "Master Chief has been living in a hut" while on the first days of being on the new planet.

An enhancement to the game is a much longer campaign than the traditional length of most Halo campaigns. The average length of a Halo campaign is about 8 to 10 hours, more if the difficulty is set to Heroic or Legendary.

According to the Halo 4 article in Game Informer magazine, the game starts off with the Master Chief and Cortana in the remains of the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn in 2557, with Cortana stating she's updated the MJOLNIR suit's firmware while the Master Chief was unconscious, apparent from the new HUD. Intruders are detected on multiple decks, which are identified through flying through an elevator shaft and making the way to the observation deck 4 floors up as Covenant. Firstly, the Master Chief is attacked by an Energy sword wielding Elite, to which he comments "I thought we had a truce with the Covenant", then encounters Grunts and Elites as he continues towards the observation deck. Cortana points out that the hostiles "aren't outfitted like standard military" and could be rogue. Some Elites, for example, have no armor on their arms, as some Grunts lack methane masks on their face, but rather a tube into their noses. The ship is then boarded by more landing craft and eventually the pair crash land on Requiem (a.k.a. the Legendary Planet).

Not much is known about what happens to Master Chief after he lands. At E3 2012, part of the campaign is revealed. The  can be seen crash landing on Requiem. Master Chief then heads toward the crash site of the Infinity. However, he is momentarily stopped when he feels something behind him, and grabbing his assault rifle, spins around to aim at a massive sphere which scans the area in front of it, where the Chief is standing, before heading towards the crash location of the Infinity. Multiple Covenant Phantoms and Banshees can be also seen heading toward the crashed ship. As the Master Chief finds a path down to the ship he encounters a covenant scout team, two Grunts, a Jackal, and an Elite. After confronting them the Chief continues on his path to the Infinity. During the fight, it is evident that there are hitmarkers in the game. The Master Chief is then attacked by unknown hostile forces. Cortana states that "These things are some type of defense AI's, definitely not Covenant!" There seems to be various types of "AI's" that the Master Chief encounters. One version seems able to utilize Slipspace technology to teleport to different locations. Others have the ability to fling grenades back at their throwers and deploy shields, and one of them looks very similar to a holographic skeleton in a suit of armor. The Chief ends up being stopped by Cortana, who switches the 'Visor Mode'. This ends up with chief being able to see enemies in red, similar to Halo 3: ODST's VISR. However, the ability to see through walls and floors is evident, perhaps indicating this to be the new Promethean Vision. The hostiles keep on appearing until one appears right in front of the Chief and knocks him out.

Before and after the Campaign Demo, there are different live action and CGI scenes. Before the demo is a scene which features a high ranking UNSC navy officer explaining the UNSC Infinity, and then switching scenes to show the Infinity being attacked and somehow scanned by the same orange light as seen with the sphere the Master Chief encountered. The Captain, whose name tag indicates him to be Captain Andrew Del Rio (Mentioned in Halo: Glasslands), is shown to be calling for help as the ship falls into Requiem.

After the demo, there are numerous CGI scenes showing Cortana's rampancy, and probably the Spartan 4's, along with a new vehicle which looks very similar to the Halo 3 Elephant. There is also a scene which depicts the Didact's symbol, with the words "An Ancient Evil Awakens", and a dark voice on the background stating: 'I have long dreamt of this day, Reclaimer'. Whether this confirms that the Didact is the main antagonist is unknown.


 * The full length video, with no "outside the screen camera" interruptions at E3, can be seen here.

Forward Unto Dawn
Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn is a live-action webseries that will debut on October 5, 2012, and continue until the release of Halo 4 on November 6th, 2012.

Aside from marketing Halo 4, the goal of the webseries is to introduce the franchise to people unfamiliar with the games. 343 Industries franchise business management director, Matt McCloskey, said to Variety: "make Halo accessible for people who haven't played the games."

Characters

 * Captain Andrew Del Rio
 * Commander Palmer
 * Cortana
 * John-117
 * Thomas Lasky
 * The Didact
 * Catherine Elizabeth Halsey

Species

 * Kig-yar
 * Mgalekgolo
 * Unggoy
 * Sangheili
 * Humans
 * Promethean Crawler
 * Alpha Crawler
 * Crawler Snipe
 * Promethean Knight
 * Knight Lancer
 * Knight Commander
 * Knight Battlewagon
 * Promethean Watcher

Organizations

 * The Storm
 * United Nations Space Command
 * United Nations Space Command Defense Force
 * UNSC Navy
 * Naval Special Warfare Command
 * SPARTAN-II Program
 * Office of Naval Intelligence
 * UNSC Marine Corps
 * SPARTAN-IV Program
 * Shadow Squad
 * Majestic Squad
 * Fireteam Crimson

Locations

 * Requiem
 * Concord
 * Northern Polar Region
 * Kholo
 * Unnamed orbital mining facility

Vehicles

 * D77H-TCI Pelican
 * M12 Force Application Vehicle
 * M274 Ultra-Light All-Terrain Vehicle
 * M808B Main Battle Tank
 * Type-26 Assault Gun Carriage
 * Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft
 * Type-32 Rapid Assault Vehicle
 * Type-52 Troop Carrier
 * UH-144 Falcon
 * Unnamed UNSC Transport
 * Unknown Halo 4 Vehicle
 * Unnamed UNSC Transport
 * Unknown Halo 4 Vehicle
 * Unknown Halo 4 Vehicle

Technology

 * Active Camouflage
 * Autosentry
 * Hardlight Shield
 * Hologram
 * Promethean Vision
 * Jetpack
 * Regeneration Field
 * Sprint
 * Thruster Pack

Weapons

 * Asymmetric Recoilless Carbine-920
 * BR85HB SR Battle Rifle
 * Combat Knife
 * M363 Remote Projectile Detonator
 * M395 Designated Marksman Rifle
 * M41 Surface-to-Surface Rocket Medium Anti-Vehicle/Assault Weapon
 * M45D Tactical Shotgun
 * M46 Light Anti-Aircraft Gun
 * M6 Grindell/Galilean Nonlinear Rifle
 * M6H Personal Defense Weapon System
 * M739 Light Machine Gun
 * M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose Grenade
 * MA5D Individual Combat Weapon System
 * Sniper Rifle System 99-S5 Anti-Materiel
 * Type-1 Antipersonnel Grenade
 * Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword
 * Type-2 Energy Weapon/Hammer
 * Type-25 Directed Energy Pistol
 * Type-27 Special Application Sniper Rifle
 * Type-33 Light Anti-Armor Weapon
 * Type-50 Directed Energy Rifle/Heavy
 * Type-51 Carbine
 * Type-52 Directed Energy Support Weapon
 * Type-55 Directed Energy Rifle/Advanced
 * Z-040 Attenuation Field Generator
 * Z-110 Directed Energy Pistol
 * Z-130 Suppressor
 * Z-180 Close Combat Rifle/Asymmetric Engagement Mitigator
 * Z-250 Light Rifle
 * Z-390 High-Explosive Munitions Rifle
 * Z-750 Special Application Sniper Rifle

Trivia

 * During the E3 2011 trailer there are a few Easter Eggs, such as a video monitor that appears to display what looks to be a Halo Array.
 * In the end of Halo 3, the last words heard are spoken by John-117, as he speaks to Cortana before entering his cryo-chamber: "Wake me, when you need me." In the Halo 4 teaser trailer, the first words that one can hear are screamed by Cortana as she tries to wake the Chief: "Chief! I need you!"
 * It has been confirmed that Cortana is in a rampant state. Furthermore, Jen Taylor will continue to voice act the AI in Halo 4.
 * Frank O'Connor states that John's personality in Halo 4 would change due to the storyline.
 * Halo 4 will be the start of the Reclaimer trilogy.
 * The artwork used on the front cover of Halo: Cryptum and Halo: Primordium are actually pieces of early Halo 4 concept art.
 * Assassinations will return, although they may be slightly altered. It was confirmed at Comic-Con that you can assassinate using the flag and oddball which can be seen here.
 * Halo 4 will be the first game created from scratch by 343 Industries, as Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary was a remake of the 2001 game Halo: Combat Evolved.
 * Halo 4 will be the first Halo game to have armor and weapon skins.
 * Covenant vehicles now appear to have green lights instead of the traditional blue.
 * Unlike the other Halo games, John-117 now talks during gameplay.
 * The E3 demo of Halo 4 is confirmed to take place almost 1/3 through the campaign.
 * During Frank O'Connor's interview with Gamespot, he confirmed that Halo 4 will not include dual-wielding. An exception to this is with the flag and pistol, seen here
 * Halo 4 will be the first game in the series to not feature the Plasma Rifle, as it will be replaced by the new Storm Rifle.
 * Lowering weapons will be available in Halo 4, both online and offline.