If some of the information here is correct; if some of what I'm reading is
final on the part of 343I's implementations to the much anticipated new title... then I will be honest and say I'm a shade or two disappointed.
Not so much on what is being added, but on what is apparently not being included.
Now, operative word in the above opener is
"final".
This is called "leaked" information, right? I realize that well-established mags like
Gameinformer are definitely among the best of their kind. In fact, it was for good reason that I subscribed to the mag for 2 years, and would've done so up till now but for the fact that money got tight, and I could use their website as an option for the great writing and analysis for which they are known; though nothing quite replaces the magazine.
But it's still a long way till the actual release of Halo 4. What Gameinformer or anyone else knows about the game at this point is well subject to change. "Leaked", they say?
Could it be that 343I turned on the faucet?
Not saying they'd thus test the waters, but that's possible, and there's nothing wrong with throwing a bit of pre-release info out there to see what the reaction is long before the project and product is actually out of its production stages.
About that shade of disappointment I mentioned above...
"Elites not returning to multiplayer". Hmmm... and why not?
To be sure, Master Chief has always been the hub around which the Halo wheels do turn. But the Elites are more than a spoke or two in those wheels, at least heretofore.
For me, the Elites were an enemy to respect, a force to be reckoned with. And they were at once fun to fight and quite challenging on high difficulty in the Campaign. They always made the Brutes seem like bungling boy scouts, with the exception of the Chieftains.
And the Arbiter became my favorite Halo character. period. I love Master Chief, but the Arbiter is the quintessential Sangheili. He represents all that is noble and honorable in his race, and is an exemplary warrior by any standard.
And surely the alliance formed between Johnson and the Arbiter and, in effect, between the UNSC and the Sangheili, will factor into the upcoming games? I see not how or even why the Elites would be phased out of the story. I will resist the temptation to elaborate how I believe the Elites could be written into the story at this point in a most dramatic fashion, as the best allies that MC and the UNSC has, or ever will have.
Well, I assume, based upon some images/pics I'm seeing that the Elites will be involved in Halo 4, and hopefully beyond.
Surely they will not be taken out of the story mode, the Campaign, not in Halo 4 or future releases? If so, I shall be very disappointed.
But if the images are any indication, the Elites are shaping up to look truly alien. They are monstrous, yes, but highly intelligent aliens, endowed with that other-worldly animalistic persona, as well as the other-worldly culture, ethic, technology, and their ancient, creedal convictions which makes them allies unto death unless betrayed, combined with overall prowess as warriors.
"343 Industries has no plans to include a dedicated Firefight mode."
If this is true, then I again hang my head in disappointment. In all honesty, the Campaign is what made me a fan of Halo to begin with, and the addition of Firefight in ODST gave me a reason to not pick up games like UC2 and UT3 for some great bot-enabled combat when I was otherwise playing alone. I fell in love with "The Mercenaries" in Resident Evil 4, and the similar yet unique modes in the Unreal games, Gears of War's Horde mode, and Firefight in Halo. Firefight was predated by these other developers, but Bungie managed to give it that halo-esque look and feel, so that it was hardly a copycat idea in the final analysis.
I'm not much on MP, so I won't venture into that area of discussion much. It seems to me, though, that inclusion of a "Forerunner" x-ray vision mode in MP would be a mistake. Camping is issue enough as is in MP, and I fear this would only encourage the practice.
I think, in fact, that a feature like that should be a very, very novel, and very infrequent capability only in the Campaign, in situations where the player cannot survive apart from its very strategic activation. Make that so the player cannot simply escape death merely by its activation, but is forced to use it strategically. One mistake and you waste it, and risk certain death.
On a final note....Halo 4 is still a long way off. I think we should all refrain from jumping the critical gun here. If you go to 343I forums, please, in the interests of representing a mature and analytically capable (as opposed to the entirely selfish "I want this or that" and "Halo isn't Halo unless") approach to the "leaked" info... please, be nice to the devs.
Okay?
They want our criticisms. Our
constructive and intelligent criticisms. They are professionals and they can handle that, and are actually there to make us happy about their game.
But they can do without verbal assaults and deliberately uncouth and anti-social antics in their forums.
Demonstrate that you are as good at analysing information and making solid suggestions as you are at playing a game with controller in hand.
I take what I see thus far with grains of salt, and will avoid premature assumptions and decisions. Ultimately, we shall see the game for what it shall be in due time. It will not be Halo 2 or 3. We must accept that all games change over time. Adjustments will need to be made.
But let's give 343I the benefit of the doubt, especially at this still early stage.
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By the way, check this out: