Of course the Covenant are present as well, and the Cauldron mission warms you up with some more conventional, but no less punchy, shootouts against the old enemy of the Halo universe. In this case, they're a splinter group of barmy religious nutters who reckon one of their gods is to be found crouching behind a bush on Requiem somewhere.
So while the UNSC is trying to secure Requiem to prevent another costly war, the rogue Covenant sect is presumably plotting to use this shield world and its protection from the Halo Array to flatten all before them. Dealing with that on top of the planet's native Forerunner threat means in both single-player and Spartan Ops, you're likely to have your hands full.
Promethean Vision is a tweak to your visor, providing a Predator-style view of the action that also offers limited X-ray penetration through walls, Thruster grants you the ability to quickly jink in a horizontal direction to evade fire, and Hardlight Shield gives you a sci-fi take on the riot shield, which can soak up some additional damage as you shimmy to cover. No doubt you'll develop favourites, which will change depending on whether you're going up against human or AI foes.
With a new team in charge of such a beloved franchise, it's inevitable that there'll be concerns about whether the nebulous 'feel' of the series will remain as new features are layered on top. Having finally spent some quality time in UNSC-issue footwear, it's fair to say our fears have been entirely allayed. What's more, the new enemy types slot beautifully into Halo's sandbox shootouts, and learning their combat quirks is likely to be one of the most rewarding elements of 343 Industries' take on the universe.
Combine all that with Spartan Ops' new model for co-op and the as yet unrevealed Forge mode, which will also have 'significant improvements', and you have a package that promises to comprehensively cater for Halo fans old and new. Master Chief's triumphant return is looking every bit as refreshing and essential as his debut all those years ago.
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6 comments so far...
BlackhawkTenan on 12 Aug '12 said:
From what i've seen it looks like a perfect blend of the old and the new. I have played all three Halo games (plus Reach), and three more of the same, whilst nostalgic, would be a bore. Can't wait to fight the forerunners as it will force veterans to change their fighting style, and also find out what Requim has to hide. Come on November 6th 2012
STE MO on 12 Aug '12 said:
This is one the the few games that I can't wait to get my hands on. Not so much for multiplayer but for the story and the evolution of it. I'm really interested to see where they go with the forerunners, what's their story and where in the galaxy/universe it'll take us. Roll on November
Thos. on 12 Aug '12 said:
Amazing how the whole Promethian / alien / human origin mystery matches almost exactly themes in the new Alien movie, even using the same name for the aliens.
EDIT: Not saying either ripped the other off, as they were presumably both in secret development simultaneously. Still weird though.
Lancer Armstrong on 13 Aug '12 said:
Does anyone know if Spartan Ops will be playable offline? This whole "episodic content" business has me worried that it will only be playable online, which would be horrible.
What I've always loved about Halo (and Gears) is that you can play multiplayer or Firefight with your buddies in the same room. Would be a real disappointment if Halo 4 didn't allow local split-screen for Spartan Ops.
ePg x Ben on 29 Aug '12 said:
Looks like a fantastic game but the discussion on every ones mind at the minute is the ranking system and whether it will be like Halo 3's or Halo Reachs
let us know which ones you would prefer
to be honest I would like a bit of the both of the ranking systems the credits to buy armour and the true skill ranking system for the online to bring back a bit of competition to win the matches.
cade360 on 3 Sep '12 said:
I agree with you ePg x Ben, if they used a system similar to Reach's credit system but determinted the amount of credits earned, if any at all, by using Halo 3's TrueSkill system, then we have a very good multiplayer system on our hands.
I would also like it if Achievments give credit bonuses, the more G's an achievment gives, the more credits you gain as a reward.
There is a lot 343 could do in the next 3 Halo games, I guess we have to wait and see