Is Halo drifting away from being sandbox?

Games Other Halo
1

Looking at the content on Halo 4, it seems in the rifle section, there could potentially be 7 different rifles. The content says more weapons that have yet to be revealed could change the battlefield even more. The idea of having more rifles supports why we will have custom loadouts and why the sandbox idea is possibly being eradicated. Rifles are as followed:

BR
DMR
Assault Carbine
Covenant Carbine
Needle Rifle - Speculated, but possible
(Forerunner Variant) - Speculated, but possible
(Ancient Enemy Variant) - Speculated, but possible

Although I’m only judging it on rifles, in Halo: Reach, for the assault rifles they had the AR, Plasma Repeater, Rifle, Spiker, and Needler, so it might not be drifting away exactly, but they definetely are giving variety!

Although I am glad they are simply offering just one type of shotgun, sniper rocket, etc…Although like the content says, they could add more that we currently do not know of. Although would the Pistol count in that list? It certainly has the range that equals them.

Thoughts on the idea of having so many to choose from? Are they drifting from the Sandbox idea?

Also, does anyone know if the rifle the Elite was holding was the Covenant carbine? Has the Assault Carbine been revealed yet?

I’m new to the forums, sorry if I’m breaking rules or something guys =S

2

Halo 2 set us on this path of diminishing quality. 3 Reach and now 4 will continue it.

3

> An open world is a type of video game level design where a player can roam freely through a virtual world and is given considerable freedom in choosing how or when to approach objectives. Video games that include such level design often are referred to as “free roam” games.
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> The term is sometimes used interchangeably with “sandbox” and “free-roaming”; however, the terms open world and free-roaming describe the game environment itself and allude more to the absence of artificial barriers, in contrast to the invisible walls and loading screens that are common in linear level designs. The term sandbox refers more to the mechanics of a game and how, as in a physical sandbox, the user is entertained by his ability to play creatively and with there being “no right way” of playing the game.
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> Despite their name, many open world games still enforce restrictions at some points in the game environment, either due to absolute game design limitations or temporary in-game limitations (such as locked areas) imposed by a game’s linearity.

4

Ah ok, thanks for that.