> Okay here goes.
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> If someone had told me weeks ago that I would get a sneak preview of Halo 4 and meet David/Frankie, I would have honestly scoffed. But I did and I am so grateful for the experience. And that’s how I want to start this off, by thanking David, Frankie and 343 for screening that Halo 4 stuff, because regardless of how anyone feels about 343, Reach, the current multiplayer ;p, the community involvement of these guys is just awesome. Despite how much we (I) piss and moan about -Yoink-, they’re here and approachable. They didn’t have to show me anything and yet they did. So now that the sanctimonious crap is out of the way, my impressions, where to start by god.
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> First thing we saw on screen was a frontal view of the official look of Master Chief for Halo 4. I’m sure you’ve all seen the screens now. What stood out to me was “This is a man in a suit, not to be confused with a mech of some sort” and from what I saw and was told thus far, that seems be the overall direction this game is working towards on campaign side. Who is John 117 and how will his new foe (yes new foe, the covenant will be present but they’re not going to test Master Chief like this new ominous force) challenge him in unique and engaging ways. I’m hoping Halo 4 will demystify Master Chief, but I have no idea to the extent of which 343 will do this with 4 so moving on.
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> Next was the ViDoc and due to my love of scored compositions I picked up on the music immediately. Right away I knew, this is going to be different but no less epic based on the music alone. Being the multiplayer freak that I am, I noticed the BR right away (I actually peered through the window while they were doing another presentation and totally spoiled myself like an idiot with that one, shhh don’t tell). But besides that what really piqued my interest, not to get too ridiculously metaphorical here, was the ballet of spartans, moving faster, longer and higher. I could have seen just that and the BR alone, got up, shook David and Frankie’s hands, said “I trust whatever the -Yoink- else you happen to do,” and walked out content. I was just that appeased with the direction in just seeing the vidoc. But then there was more!
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> We got walkarounds/flythroughs of the two new maps and a short little multiplayer combat footage, some of which is edited into the Vidoc. First we were shown Warhouse, which if you’re a skybox fan, this is your map to -Yoink!-. It’s set on a vessel (I think?) out on the atmosphere of a gas giant, with an asteroid belt overhead and the scale of this thing, which most people won’t really get to pan out to see is just massive. I can’t recall too much from this map other than the mess hall being where that mech is but this and Wraparound seemed to be circular, which to me is great, since I can’t stand maps that are far too linear and lack a kind of flow.
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> Then there was Wraparound, just wooo beautiful. If you’ve ever been in a well lit Cathedral, the ambiance they managed to capture with their new lighting techniques. Holy moly. In this one apparently the lighting will come into actual gameplay, there is actual glare that people can take advantage or be victims of depending on where they stand. There is a mancannon in Wraparound that puts people right back in the crazy main mess hall but it’s not intrusive and someone can still be fired upon. There are various ways to drop down or climb up the maps, I could see this even without exploring it myself with the spartan. And the design philosophy is back on par with Halo 2 and focusing on “what will be played on this map and how do we design around that?” Hopefully Domino remembers some things that I don’t and vice versa because it was just all so much to take in, I’ve already forgotten a bunch of stuff.
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> The Spartan 4s are detail heaven. Pure eye candy but they also -Yoinking!- move!! YES!!! Got to see them in action a bit, shooting each other, running around, and jumping. On top of watching some simple multiplayer footage, David ran the spartan around for us, so we could listen to it ground pound, as well as hear and see the burst fire of the BR. After that I just wanted it then and there. You know I try not get too excited about these things, especially when the hype machine makes me feel so dumb later when I’m about a year into a game but after Reach, and seeing what I did, I was -Yoinking!- sold. I felt like the design philosophy and direction that I witnessed thus far, if it carries on, we’re looking at a game that we will enjoy. I tried to look at it with a pokerface, as critically as I know I can be but I was just content, hell I was blown away. I thought 343 gauged where Reach could improve ridiculously well and just took off running in the right direction.
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> So thanks again David, Frankie and 343 for the swag (which I wasn’t expecting) but mostly for the chance to see all that, and get me excited about a Halo game again after being so damn cynical towards Reach and what future Halos would bring. You have my sword, please keep on doin’ what you do.
This was a complete skeptic before actually personally seeing it first hand.
I applaud this person.