Halo 4 Leaks, News, Etc.

Surprise Surprise, a mini-preview of Halo 4 revealing a lot of details about the setting and the gameplay changes has been posted on the official Bungie forum.

One interesting fellow claiming to be a friend of someone, who was sent the media document about Halo 4, with information embargo till Halo Celebration event in August, has posted a paraphrased version of it on Bungie Forums.

You can read through all the details below but I advise taking everything with a large grain of salt. This is a Leak after all.

Halo 4 returns players to the story of the Master Chief and Cortana in the events that follow the conclusion of Halo 3. Players will experience an all new story and introduce a new roster of enemies and weapons to the Halo experience. Set against the top secret Forerunner planetoid known to ONI as Sigma 7, players will encounter a dark new foe and unravel more of the mysteries behind the forerunners and the Office of Naval Intelligence.

At the heart of Halo 4 is a stronger focus than ever before behind story telling and player choice. Players will be offered an unprecedented level of customization and a narrative experience never before seen in a first person shooter. On a technical level Halo 4 pushes the boundaries of the action genre by incorporating larger battlefields than ever before and players will experience conflicts that seamlessly span land, sea and space.

Halo 4 will expand the series trademark arsenal of weapons and vehicles beyond any other title so far. Players can expect fan favorites to return along with new additions.

Halo 4 will also feature the revolutionary new Arsenal Improvisation Mechanics that allow for menu-free, creative customization of weapons and vehicles in the heat of combat. Players will take their fight to a new level by dynamically tailoring their weapons and vehicles to suit any situations or enemies.

At the moment it seems 343 are focusing on the new and improved story and weapons system (of which the new AIM mechanic is only mysteriously alluded to) but there was some video shown that fills in some of the gaps. Halo 4 is set on a Forerunner planet that has an inner and outer surface that provides two distinct styles.

The outside is very industrial and features a wide range of hostile Forerunner tech and AI. The video showed space combat here. The inside of the planetoid is hollow and is sectioned off in to many tiers/bands (almost resembling Halo rings) that feature a myriad of natural environments not only resembling earth’s but many other alien terrains.

The video featured combat across a multitude of environments from space to mountains, plains and oceans. Presumably, ONI had been top secretly researching the planet for some. There are UNSC forces on the planet but they look really degraded and disorganized and it was implied that they may be divided into factions and warring with each other.

At one point we see a heavily modified warthog that has had the wheels replaced two kind of anti gravity devices. At another point the Chief is clearly sprinting which possibly implies a return of armor abilities. There was no sign of the Flood or the Covenant but at the very end of the trailer the ‘dark new threat’ was hinted at.

The video ends with the Chief standing at a dark cave entrance and from within can be heard some menacing gurgling and grunting. Cortana says "They’re coming back … and there’s a LOT more of them this time”, the Master chief then readies a new weapon that looks like a cross between a rocket launcher and a Needler and it focuses on his helmet and visor and a number of strange digital effects ripple across his visor then the videos ends.

Sounds like a lot is changing, I will still hold my thoughts to go wild. It’s too early to say anything. I have forwarded an email to Microsoft, will update if got any response.

A member on the Bungie forums has revealed some very interesting information about the upcoming sequel, Halo 4.

The source was not revealed, the legitimacy of the details are still in question but are reasonable to be true. Before you start reading off, the leaked info do contain some spoilers."Halo 4 returns players to the story of the Master Chief and Cortana in the events that follow the conclusion of Halo 3. Players will experience an all new story and introduce a new roster of enemies and weapons to the Halo experience. Set against the top secret Forerunner planetoid known to ONI as Sigma 7, players will encounter a dark new foe and unravel more of the mysteries behind the forerunners and the Office of Naval Intelligence.

At the heart of Halo 4 is a stronger focus than ever before behind story telling and player choice. Players will be offered an unprecedented level of customization and a narrative experience never before seen in a first person shooter. On a technical level Halo 4 pushes the boundaries of the action genre by incorporating larger battlefields than ever before and players will experience conflicts that seamlessly span land, sea and space.

Halo 4 will expand the series trademark arsenal of weapons and vehicles beyond any other title so far. Players can expect fan favorites to return along with new additions. Halo 4 will also feature the revolutionary new Arsenal Improvisation Mechanics that allow for menu-free, creative customization of weapons and vehicles in the heat of combat. Players will take their fight to a new level by dynamically tailoring their weapons and vehicles to suit any situations or enemies.”

At the moment it seems 343 are focusing on the new and improved story and weapons system (of which the new AIM mechanic is only mysteriously alluded to) but there was some video shown that fills in some of the gaps. Halo 4 is set on a Forerunner planet that has an inner and outer surface that provides two distinct styles. The outside is very industrial and features a wide range of hostile Forerunner tech and AI. The video showed space combat here. The inside of the planetoid is hollow and is sectioned off in to many tiers/bands (almost resembling Halo rings) that feature a myriad of natural environments not only resembling earth’s but many other alien terrains. The video featured combat across a multitude of environments from space to mountains, plains and oceans. Presumably, ONI had been top secretly researching the planet for some. There are UNSC forces on the planet but they look really degraded and disorganized and it was implied that they may be divided into factions and warring with each other. At one point we see a heavily modified warthog that has had the wheels replaced two kind of anti gravity devices. At another point the Chief is clearly sprinting which possibly implies a return of armor abilities. There was no sign of the Flood or the Covenant but at the very end of the trailer the ‘dark new threat’ was hinted at. The video ends with the Chief standing at a dark cave entrance and from within can be heard some menacing gurgling and grunting. Cortana says "They’re coming back … and there’s a LOT more of them this time”, the Master chief then readies a new weapon that looks like a cross between a rocket launcher and a Needler and it focuses on his helmet and visor and a number of strange digital effects ripple across his visor then the videos ends.

Halo 4 Will Be Launched on Xbox 360

It comes as no surprise that Halo 4 will be making it’s debut on the Xbox 360 console next December. After much debate as to whether it would be a launch title for the Next Gen. Xbox (720?) Microsoft made it clear that it would be featured on the 360. The announcement was made officially by Frank O’Connor on NeoGaf forums posting under the name OuterWorldVoice. Here’s how his statement read:

"Halo 4 will be on Xbox 360 and use a modified core of the Halo engine(s). Not really a singular engine since it goes through fairly radical evolutions all the time.”

Microsoft later confirmed that Halo 4 would indeed be released on the Xbox 360 come 2012. As to why there was so much debate over which console Halo 4 would release on, we’re not so sure. The next gen. Xbox hasn’t been announced yet and it seems the 360 was the obvious choice since Halo 4 was announced this past summer. Below is a video snippet from IGN giving some insight on the situation.

Old soldiers never die, they just switch developers and continue on. When Bungie ended its tour of duty with the Halo franchise that it created, and headed for the greener (and more lucrative) pastures of Activision, the developer left one of the most iconic characters in video game history in something of a precarious situation. Halo 3 ended the trilogy of games with a definitive conclusion to the Earth’s war against the Covenant and battle against the Flood, but the cost to Master Chief and his AI-companion were high.

If you have not played Halo 3, beware spoilers–but in that case, to be fair you probably shouldn’t be reading an article about Halo 4 anyway. The series ended with Master Chief in stasis, floating in the wreckage of a ruined space ship, and Cortana watching over him, waiting to awaken him when he is needed. It was a bittersweet ending, but a satisfying one.

Bungie, of course, went on to close out its run with the prequel Halo: Reach, but 343 Industries were left to take the character of Master Chief in a new direction. It has already been announced that the next Halo would be the beginning of a new trilogy unofficially dubbed "The Reclaimer Trilogy,” and now we have a few more minor—but important–details about the game.

In an interview with CVG, 343 Industries’ Frank O’Connor discussed a few of the things we can expect. For those that have been worried about what the change of developers will do to the careful crafted universe that Bungie created, you can relax. The franchise is in good hands in O’Conner, who was hired away from Bungie to oversee Halo.

O’Conner claims that there are a lot of changes coming for the character, both aesthetically and in play, but the game will still feel fundamentally like a Halo game. The first difference we can expect is in how Master Chief looks.

"There’s some fairly radical modifications to his armor” says O’Connor. "Some of those are an artistic evolution, but some are connected to the story. We just can’t talk about it yet. He’s been in space for a long time.”

The game will begin when Master Chief awakens just as the remains of his ship arrive at a mysterious new planet. Those that played Halo 3 and beat it on Legendary (spoiler) may remember that the Chief was heading for what appeared to be a planet covered in some form of technology, possibly circuitry. Assuming that 343 retains that beat of canon, the glimpse was saw was actually the shell of an artificial planet. 

Earlier this year at Halofest, the new developers revealed that the new game will take place in a forerunner shield world—an artificially constructed world that the forerunners designed to survive the firing of the Halo rings, which were designed to destroy the now extinct Flood by destroying all organic material in the galaxy.

Perhaps more importantly to the story though, is that the years have not been as kind to Cortana, who is facing the end of her life cycle.

"Seven years is the lifespan for a smart AI before it enters a state called rampancy,” O’Connor says.

"Cortana was getting close to the end of her natural lifespan at the end of Halo 3 but she has been exposed to far more information than any other AI in existence. She’s going to develop some muscle from that process but it also contributes to her rampancy – that much information makes things worse.”

O’Conner also stated that the trilogy will get much worse before it gets better, meaning Halo 5 will likely be a fairly bleak affair before Halo 6 resolves the coming conflict.

Halo 4 does not have an official release date, but it is scheduled for Q4 of 2012.

"Halo 4 returns players to the story of the Master Chief and Cortana in the events that follow the conclusion of Halo 3. Players will experience an all new story and introduce a new roster of enemies and weapons to the Halo experience. Set against the top secret Forerunner planetoid known to ONI as Sigma 7, players will encounter a dark new foe and unravel more of the mysteries behind the forerunners and the Office of Naval Intelligence.

At the heart of Halo 4 is a stronger focus than ever before behind story telling and player choice. Players will be offered an unprecedented level of customization and a narrative experience never before seen in a first person shooter. On a technical level Halo 4 pushes the boundaries of the action genre by incorporating larger battlefields than ever before and players will experience conflicts that seamlessly span land, sea and space.

Halo 4 will expand the series trademark arsenal of weapons and vehicles beyond any other title so far. Players can expect fan favorites to return along with new additions. Halo 4 will also feature the revolutionary new Arsenal Improvisation Mechanics that allow for menu-free, creative customization of weapons and vehicles in the heat of combat. Players will take their fight to a new level by dynamically tailoring their weapons and vehicles to suit any situations or enemies.”

At the moment it seems 343 are focusing on the new and improved story and weapons system (of which the new AIM mechanic is only mysteriously alluded to) but there was some video shown that fills in some of the gaps. Halo 4 is set on a Forerunner planet that has an inner and outer surface that provides two distinct styles. The outside is very industrial and features a wide range of hostile Forerunner tech and AI. The video showed space combat here. The inside of the planetoid is hollow and is sectioned off in to many tiers/bands (almost resembling Halo rings) that feature a myriad of natural environments not only resembling earth’s but many other alien terrains. The video featured combat across a multitude of environments from space to mountains, plains and oceans. Presumably, ONI had been top secretly researching the planet for some. There are UNSC forces on the planet but they look really degraded and disorganized and it was implied that they may be divided into factions and warring with each other. At one point we see a heavily modified warthog that has had the wheels replaced two kind of anti gravity devices. At another point the Chief is clearly sprinting which possibly implies a return of armor abilities. There was no sign of the Flood or the Covenant but at the very end of the trailer the ‘dark new threat’ was hinted at. The video ends with the Chief standing at a dark cave entrance and from within can be heard some menacing gurgling and grunting. Cortana says "They’re coming back … and there’s a LOT more of them this time”, the Master chief then readies a new weapon that looks like a cross between a rocket launcher and a Needler and it focuses on his helmet and visor and a number of strange digital effects ripple across his visor then the videos ends.