#halo

Halo 4 is the highly anticipated baby of 343 Industries and their first foray into a world that has been popularized as the penultimate offering from Microsoft on their gaming consoles. Taking over where Bungie left the series after almost 10 years of development is a tough task. 343 has been internally involved since the beginning of the franchise but nonetheless has big shoes to fill. Instead of merely fulfilling this goal they have succeeded in building a new and unique chapter for Master Chief and Cortana that brings emotion, story and character to previously unreached levels of perfection.

The trailer for one of the most anticipated games to drop this year has finally arrived and with it is a story that has been over a decade in the making. Master Chief has been scanned from head to toe by a Forerunner inquisitor who seems intent on completely dissecting our him starting with his mind. We get glimpses of John’s (Master Chief’s) past as a child, an experiment, a lone survivor, and humanity's eventual savior. In the flashbacks we get some of our first hints at what John went through to become the formidable hero we’ve always taken for granted. David Fincher was brought in to direct the short promotion which is a mixture of live-action and CGI animation. These are big gambles Microsoft and 343 Industries are taking by revealing the past, identity and drive of what has been, until now, a faceless character.

If you’ve been following Halo 4 news around the internet you’ve undoubtedly come across some of the myriad of videos put out by 343 Industries showcasing their unique approach to the Halo universe in a quest to develop the next in a series of well regarded shooters. If you’ve been doubting whether 343 is capable of pulling it all off just watch one of those videos and you’ll probably change your mind. Last week we talked about the resurgence of the Forerunners and what that means for Master Chief during the story portion of Halo 4. This week we have a nearly complete look at the Covenant, UNSC and Forerunner weapons you’ll be able to use during the various gameplay modes.

Do you wonder how one developer’s take on a particular story or IP can be different from another? Are you interested in seeing how one of the most successful games in the last decade is about to be reinvigorated? Then Step up, sit down and pop yourself a small bag of popcorn because while this behind the scenes video isn’t too long it does give an extended look into the inner workings of one of the most anticipated games of 2012. That’s right Master Chief will be released unto a new planet to act once more as the savior of mankind...he’s been doing a lot of that since his commissioning.