With only a few months left until the release of Halo 4, I have been thinking about the series as a whole. The John and Cortana relationship is one that has been (thankfully) paramount in the execution and story line of each title, with Halo 4 expanding that even further. 343i has brazenly been open about the possibility of Cortana entering the beginning stages of rampancy or something else entirely to cause her to become overly hostile in one scene shown thus far. How this affects her relationship with John will be something I am looking forward to with high expectations.
As this title is set to explore some of John’s history within the Halo universe, I can’t help but think this might be done through Cortana, possibly to the detriment of John. We know that his childhood was marred by the abduction of the UNSC into the Spartan program at the age of 6, and Cortana’s insight into John’s life is more than just a passing fancy. Could she turn against her long time friend in her struggles with overcoming her own obstacles? This will definitely give 343i the opportunity for even some flashback sequences to a time before we knew John as the baddass MC we know him as now. Introducing flaws into John will definitely be something new for the franchise, albeit I know that is raise for concern. Halo has always been about the player being behind the mask, and not one of Bungie’s creation (hence the limited conversations John normally has).
I think Halo has a chance to become just as great as the fiction that surrounds it here. Hopefully the interplay and dialogue of the characters this time around is as good as I think it will be.
What do you guys think? Do you think Cortana will be played against John at some point?