So I am probably going to review the campaign of Halo 4, because I feel like it. However I will start of with a recap of everything we have been given by 343 Industries to make us excited for the game.
Forward Unto Dawn Web Series:
This was a brilliant move by 343, to create a live action web series to launch us into Halo 4. Despite the limited budget of a web series, the series used practical effects and limited CG to create a realistic world. The show took a risk by keeping the Halo action saved as a finale for the series, and instead focusing on the characters. The risk paid of, by the time The Covenant aliens start attacking we are familiar with the main cast and care for them. This was a great web series and I hope for more cool things like this in the future from Halo.
E3 Live Action/ Gameplay Trailer:
While the live action was short, it gave us a wonderful look into the world in between Halo 3 and Halo 4. We gather the UNSC is hoping to use former warships such as the Infinity to explore the universe. Basically they believed they would somehow become a Star Trek like Federation with the war now over. The arrival of the Infinity at Requiem shatters all hopes.
This ties into the first game mission we get to witness, Chief plods through jungles. Shoots some grunts, and then fends of the new Promethean enemies. If anything this segment put to rest many fears Halo 4 gameplay would not be as good as previous Halo games.
Scanned Trailer:
Despite delving into Master Chief's past, this trailer was dull. We learned nothing really new, except that John likes his head shaven. Perhaps we were spoiled by the Forward Unto Dawn series, making Scanned a boring two minutes.
The Characters:
John-117 Master Chief Petty Officer- John seems to have gotten a new armor suit, and a bunch of new weapons. Critics like to point out that John's quiet nature hinders his characterization, and 343 has announced their plans to make him talk more. This has me kind of nervous actually, as an introvert I was able to relate to Bungie's silent heroes in previous Halo games. The moment the heroes were silent were the moments I figured they where thinking deeply on the events of the game, because those where the moments I was thinking about the game. I worry if Master Chief starts blabbing through out the game we will lose some of those moments.
Cortana- Cortana has always been an awkward character for me. Although she is the strongest character in the series, her futuristic Barbie like appearance was always bizarre. 343 did little to help this, making her more curvy. However a lot of recent Halo media implies Cortana's appearance is based of a futuristic, skin tight jump suit, like the one Dr. Halsey was wearing in Halo Legends. Plus no matter how crazy Cortana looks, her facial animation in the previews is beautiful. It really seems 343 has found some motion capture animation process which not only looks more realistic, but even begins to exit the uncanny valley. Unlike similar mo-cap processes seen in films like The Polar Express, Clu in Tron Legacy, and even Avatar, Halo 4's mo-cap seems both more life like, and less creepy.
I am also excited to see Cortana slip into rampancy, the state of madness which effects all A.I. systems after long periods of operation.
Thomas Lasky- Forward Unto Dawn pretty much sold us on this character. In the series he faced real issues and struggles. However by the end of the web series we know he has matured into an awesome alien-fighting machine. I just hope his character is as rich in Halo 4 as he was in the web series, although thanks to the web series he could be a flat character in game and we would still care for him. Plus his mo-cap animation also looks awesome.
Captain Del Rio- A jerk, all we can tell from the previews. However I do feel sorry for him seeing he signed up as captain of the Infinity probably thinking he will become a Captain Kirk like explorer, and not at the front lines of a new war.
Commander Palmer- A wise cracking woman; judging from the previews and episode 1 of Spartan Ops she is in many ways seems to be what Cortana should have been. Palmer is attractive, but not a ludicrously exaggerated blue space girl. This allows Palmer's prudish character to shine, and we get the sense the Spartan 4 program is in good hands under her leadership.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD IN THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS
Spartan Ops Episode One: Despite being available online a day before the game released, episode one is set after the campaign. This caused some mild spoilers, including the fact Lasky gets promoted to Captain (a good thing seeing Del Rio is a jerk), and the fact a city called New Phoenix was somehow destroyed during the game.
Spoilers aside we get some real cinematic nuggets, the Pelicans flying toward the Infinity are reminiscent of every time we see a shuttle fly towards the Enterprise in the Star Trek franchise. When the Pelican lands we see a hanger a buzz with activity, not unlike Echo Base from The Empire Strike's Back. The last cool thing borrowed from other sci-fi tropes is the Spartan preparation room, full of machines which put on the bulky Mjolnir armor, not unlike Tony Stark's robot machines which put on the Iron Man suit. This showcases one of Halo's strengths, to connect to other science fiction stories, while at the same time crafting its own unique world.
Plus the cast of characters we are introduced to are great, even if very stereotypical. The Spartan team we meet in the episode seems to fit our image of a military team, they joke around with each other; yet they realize the graveness of their coming mission. One of my favorite moments was when the group started talking about Covenant refugees taking up asylum on earth, showing how the galaxy has changed post war. At the same time we find not all of the refugees are benevolent, as some sound like they are trying to start a terror campaign against humanity. Even better the group refers to the Elites by the proper name of Sanghelli, suggesting humans are interacting and learning from the few peaceful members of the Covenant.
The scenes in the Infinity showcase an advanced spaceship. To my surprise the ship A.I. for the vessel had the appearance of a World War Two aviator, a great nod to real life. I am interested to see if we learn more about the aviator A.I. in the game. We also got to see Commander Palmer's character better than we had in any previous preview.
My only gripe was how he saw no scenes involving crew member's of the Infinity being bounced about after the collision with the Covenant ship, seems odd that the Infinity just plowed through another space ship with everybody on board acting fine about it.
More Characters;
The Didact- 343 tried to keep us in the dark about the main villain, giving us some hints, but the leak of the Halo 4 source code, and now some careless reviewers has guaranteed a Didact is the villain. Questions remain however, what is his motivation? Which Didact is the villain, The Ur Didact or the Bornstellar Didact? How did he survive the activation of Halo? And why did he look so ugly in the leaked picture I saw?
The Composer- Another obscure device from the books, hinted to appear in the game.
343 Guilty Spark- Halo 3 gave us the impression the evil A.I. was dead, however in the books we learn the Forerunners had stored Spark on an equivalent to the 'Microsoft Cloud.' Spark was able to take control of a UNSC vessel after his alleged death, using it to seek for the ancient Librarian, the same Librarian who happens to be the Didact's wife... I have no clue if Spark will surface in Halo 4, although I kind of hope he does due to his 'evil C-3P0' personality.
Dr. Halsey- A fan favorite, despite only appearing outside of the books in Halo Reach and Halo Legends. She apparently shows up at the start of the story, however I have no clue what her future involvement is. Seeing her mind was cloned as the template for Cortana could lead to some interesting interactions.
Locations:
Another Halo Ring: Rumors are bouncing back and forth as to whether we will see another Halo installation in the game or not. Different reviewers confirm or deny this! If we do see another Halo it would be a great throwback to the original trilogy, yet feel like a bit like a cop out.
New Phoenix: It sounds like a futuristic Phoenix Arizona. Will we get to see it before it blows up? Is it on earth like New Mombasa in roughly the same location as modern Phoenix? Or is it on another planet, such as Mars or even a reclaimed Reach?
Spoilers End Here:
What is clear is 343 and Microsoft have played their cards well and built a good hype machine. Fans have a clear expectation of what they are going to get out of Halo 4, and we want it. I want it so much I will be rushing to Redbox sometime this week to rent the Campaign disc, to wet my appetite for Halo until I can acquire the whole game. As long as my class schedule is not to busy expect a break down of my reaction to campaign.
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