Halo 5: Rumour, Enigma and Anticipation Abound, and other Article.

[Ghost Recon]

Halo 5: Rumour, Enigma and Anticipation Abound
source: http://gamingbolt.com/halo-5-rumour-enigma-and-anticipation-abound

 

Article:

 

Halo was one game that had completely re-defined first person shooter genre back in 2001. The game go Microsoft awed responses and much adulation. Halo was widely loved and rightly so. It had a unique set but what struck the right chord was how the game elements were portrayed and executed. No game had been able to execute an idea like the one Halo banked on so beauteously. The game was exemplary in almost every approach and it came not as a surprise when it was tagged the “killer app” for the Microsoft Platform.

After almost 13 years of churning out the most iconic and brilliant titles in the Halo series, Microsoft is anything but more fervid to continue this splendid series, evident from their recent announcement of the next Halo game at the E3. The word around is, that the internet has verbal diarrhoea when it comes to talking about the Halo. Quite frankly, there’s a lot things swirling in the dark chasms of the internet to be long-winded about.
 

“Halo 4, in a way, marked a new beginning for the series as 343 Industries took the reins again. It was evident that the they were now more focussed on developing the characters and were trying to make the story more engaging, quite successfully so.

An upcoming title of Halo’s Reclaimer Saga was announced at the E3 2013 along with a teaser trailer. Some call it the ‘Halo – Xbox One’ while others stick to ‘Halo 5’ (assumed title) because Halo 5 was actually announced back at the E3 2011 alongside Halo 4 & 6. But for the sake of convenience, it’s better to associate the name Halo 5 to the title trailer that debuted at last year’s E3.

Post the Reclaimer trilogy becoming the Reclaimer Saga, there was a lot riding on Microsoft’s shoulders. After having introduced certain deviations in the story and characters starting with Halo 2, Halo 4 marked the return of John-117 a.k.a Master Chief as the protagonist, after a spending a long time adrift in space on the UNSC frigate Forward Unto Dawn. Halo

Halo 4, in a way, marked a new beginning for the series as 343 Industries took the reins again. It was evident that the they were now more focussed on developing the characters and were trying to make the story more engaging, quite successfully so.

As a result of making a more intuitive game that promised a deeper adherence to the story and events of the Halo series, a little dark side of the game was revealed. 343 themselves have stated that the titles in the Reclaimer Saga will be a radically different experience and that they are sure to make the subsequent Halo games a lot more dark and dismal. What that ‘darkness’ entails, we can only guess.

“Although most of us had expected a Halo game to be a launch title for the Xbox One, the series being Microsoft’s linchpin, we were not truly surprised. This is because most of Halo titles have taken two E3s to treat us to something concrete and truly formidable.

Even though there is very little for us to go on, how Halo 4’s end unmistakably alludes to Halo 5 picking up from sombre beginnings. If there happened to be any doubts about that, they were laid to rest by the trailer. The trailer in itself is not a representation of the game per se, but only a representation of what direction Microsoft wishes to take with the subsequent games in the Reclaimer Saga.

The trailer has a cloaked and hooded figure roaming a desert aimlessly before finding the sand in front of him part to pave way for a gargantuan bird-like creature – probably a Promethean – which then proceeds to issue forth a pulse, pushing back the cloaked figure’s hood revealing it to be the Master Chief albeit with a cracked visor.

He then goes on to take out a data chip, clasps his fingers shut into a fist around it and looks up with new found determination. While it stands affirmed that Master Chief would be a part of the next Halo, there are doubts about the role of Cortana.

We do not know if the Master Chief would try to resurrect Cortana, or if he has kept her data chip just as a remembrance. The way Cortana departs in Halo 4 has led a number of people to believe that the former may be true and that she still lives. But no official word or leaks have been there to corroborate that.

Although most of us had expected a Halo game to be a launch title for the Xbox One, the series being Microsoft’s linchpin, we were not truly surprised. This is because most of Halo titles have taken two E3s to treat us to something concrete and truly formidable.

All Microsoft has done for now is, stir us from our seats and leave us to our own doings until the E3 2014, which still seems a bit too far. Even with so less to go on with, leaks and official news keep the canard doing the rounds.

“Amid all the spark of rumour, is the talk of when the next Halo will be released. Now Microsoft has only said that ‘a Halo’ title would be released in 2014. If you add to this the fact that 343 had announced that they are concurrently working on another title, it means that the ‘Halo’ title which is supposed to happen this year could very well be the Halo 2 Anniversary edition.

343 Industries was generous enough to tease us with a concept art sketch earlier in January. Executive Producer of 343, Josh Holmes, in an official Halo Waypoint blog post had described the artwork as “an early exploration of a new location that features prominently in a little game project we’re tinkering with”.

He had gone further to describe how they’re focussed on making the leap to the new generation console after the success of Halo 4. As for us fans out here, that’s all we could get out from him. We do not know how the location would be utilised in the game.

Amid all the spark of rumour, is the talk of when the next Halo will be released. Now Microsoft has only said that ‘a Halo’ title would be released in 2014. If you add to this the fact that 343 had announced that they are concurrently working on another title, it means that the ‘Halo’ title which is supposed to happen this year could very well be the Halo 2 Anniversary edition. It is expected to come this November.

With Halo 4 came the confirmation from 343 Industries that Steve Downes will reprise his role as John-117. The Halo 2 Anniversary edition confirmation as well as the pushing back of the Halo 5 release to some time in 2015 came from Steve Downes interview with GameZone where he’d said, “I think you’re ahead of yourself on H5. I have read some things on line that you can look forward to a H2 anniversary edition maybe this year, but I have no official information one way or the other.”

“It would have been great if PC users had got an opportunity to actually resume the story after Halo 2. The transition to Halo 3 was the worst platform screw ever done. And it wouldn’t have been that big a problem if PC users had received a completed Halo 2.

Following this, Downes tried to explain that he wasn’t confirming an anniversary edition as he had no knowledge about it. A lot of doubts still linger about around this and Microsoft had interfered with the rumour regarding Downes statement but they had not made things any more clear. So it seems very likely that we won’t say hello to Halo 5 until next year.

Having extended the release date of Halo 5 to next year, 343 and Microsoft should have enough time to optimise the game and utilise the Xbox One’s capabilities to the fullest. It was already confirmed by Microsoft at the E3 last year that the new Halo would run at 60fps and utilise dedicated multiplayer servers which was received with appreciation and sighs of relief.

That being said, it’s quite obvious that Halo 5 would be an Xbox one exclusive. Halo Anniversary Edition was rolled out as an Xbox 360 exclusive, so no point in PC users fretting over when the anniversary edition would hit the market for Windows.

It would have been great if PC users had got an opportunity to actually resume the story after Halo 2. The transition to Halo 3 was the worst platform screw ever done. And it wouldn’t have been that big a problem if PC users had received a completed Halo 2. Every time the sore memories of the faux pas well up, we see Microsoft mumbling “All water under the bridge eh?”.

“We do not know what dangers will Master Chief will find himself in or who would be the antagonist. We don’t even know what pursuit has had the Master Chief stranded in a desert covered with a patched cloak like a tinker’s. Even the title of the game is not clear.

 

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Will Halo Dominate E3 2014?

source: http://pixelgate.co.uk/will-halo-dominate-e3-2014/

 

Article:

 

Call me what you may, but I’m a huge fan of the Halo series and love the world that Bungie had crafted, and was equally impressed at the package we had delivered from 343 in 2012 with Halo 4. Sure, some people weren’t too impressed with the overall experience in Halo 4, but I still thought it was a solid game, and still had a great time with the game. Hell, it tied with Far Cry 3 for my GOTY back when it released.
 

Tweet from the official Nerdist twitter, run by Chris Hardwick.

I also find Nerdist to be very reliable about these kind of things, and after doing some internet hunting it looks it is indeed true, and that 343 Industries has some big stuff planned regarding Halo at E3 this year. Does this excite me? Quite a lot actually as Halo is the main series that sold me on the FPS genre in the first place as I was always drawn to RPG games. When I got my hands on Halo: Combat Evolved on the original Xbox I knew I was sold on the series, and genre as a whole.

But, what can we expect from E3 this year regarding Halo and will it be the biggest thing that comes out of the conference? The Halo “fan-boy” inside of me would like to think so, and pray that Halo steals the show but right now I’ll remain skeptical on that front. We are just starting into this new generation of game consoles, and there’s going to be a ton to get excited about in the coming months, and years with these systems, regardless of your loyalty. Both the PS4, and Xbox One are doing cool things and people seem pleased with their products. I can’t wait to see what both will offer at this coming E3.

Back to Halo though. There’s been some speculation as to what we’ll see regarding the series this year. It’s probably obvious that we’re going to get some details, insights, and probably some gameplay regarding Halo 5 (which I’m extremely excited about) and possibly some details regarding a Halo 2 re-release, and that Halo TV series that’s been in the works with Steven Spielberg (also very intrigued).

However, the question remains. Are people still interested in Halo, or has the love for the franchise dipped over the past few years? We can all agree that Call Of Duty has pretty much dominated the FPS market now for a while, even though Ghosts was a pretty ****e experience in general. That being said, I still like to think there’s a huge fanbase out there for Halo, and we’ll see some awesome launch parties once again when the next iteration is ready to hit shelves.

For me, Halo is my choice when I want some FPS action (I expect some hate from that statement). CoD isn’t something I’m keen on, and feels more like a cluster**** of unbalanced systems, and just frustrating gameplay however, you can forget the atrocities with the franchise as of late when you’re mucking about with some friends. Counter-Strike is a fantastic series, but it’s not something anyone can pick up and play. There’s a learning curve to it, and I find it extremely difficult as to hell to be good at when most of the community has had years, upon years of experience with the games. Plus, I think we can agree that Battlefield isn’t feeling as memorable, and great as it was in the old days, but that’s a personal opinion. In the end, Halo just feels like the best game to pick up and play with some buddies, and I can still have a great time running solo in the multiplayer component. It’s also safe to say that the Halo series actually has an interesting plot, and characters which can’t be said for many games in the shooter genre.

Plus, most of my memorable online gaming memories come from the Halo series more so than any other game I’ve played.

Plus; taking pictures in recent Halo games was pretty fun too.

Let’s get down to business though, and what I expect we’ll get at E3 this year and mostly what I’d like to see. Then, I’ll probably polish off this piece with some things I’d like to see/hope to see in the next Halo game. That being said, I have a feeling that the next batch of Halo games will help boost the sales of the Xbox One. If I recall correctly, Halo, Halo 2, and Halo 3 did some wonderful things for their respective consoles (Xbox, and Xbox 360). Hell, Halo 3 was the reason I bought an Xbox 360 over the Nintendo Wii. I’m glad I dodged that bullet.



#1 – Halo 5
 

I think it’s safe to say that we’ll something regarding the next iteration in the Halo series, and chances are that’s going to be Halo 5. However, who knows? We may get another “spin-off” game like Halo 3: ODST, or Halo Reach. Both of which were fantastic games, and Halo Reach was actually my favorite of the series. Either way, I expect to see this new iteration and can’t wait to see where it takes us in terms of the story, and locale.



#2– Halo 2: Anniversary

It’s also probably very safe to say we’ll hear some details regarding the release of Halo 2: Anniversary. If this is really a thing I’d expect we’ll see it on Xbox One, or on both the One and 360. It would be a great thing to revisit Halo 2 again and experience that wonderful story remastered in HD. Who knows, maybe we can expect a pre-order bonus inviting us into the Halo 5 multiplayer beta? Time will tell.



#3– Halo TV Series
 

Yeah, we’ll probably hear more about this. I don’t expect a trailer, or clips but just some small amount of time dedicated to talking about the project. I enjoy Spielberg’s work, and can’t wait to see how he’ll tackle Halo.

But what will we see in Halo 5, and where can the direction of the series really go with the ending of Halo 4?

SPOILERS AHEAD:

Cortana essentially “died” at the end of the last game (Halo 4) and from what we saw in the reveal for the next title, Chief is wearing some poncho/robes in a large desert environment and carrying the empty AI chip that had Cortana stored in. I’m just curious as to where the plot is going to go, and I expect it to have something to do with either Chief trying to get Cortana back, or something along those lines.

But what do I want to see in the next Halo game? Quite a bit actually, but nothing too ridiculous. I don’t want a segment with Master Chief riding around on a unicorn blasting Covenant Forces with a gun that shoots out cookies. I want something that feels reasonable in the Halo universe.

#1 – Bring Back Arby’
 

I’d love to see The Arbiter make a comeback to the series. He seemed to developed a very close bond with the Chief over the course of Halo 2/3 and it would pretty neat to see how he’d react to find find out that the Chief is actually alive, and how he’d be handling the whole new threat, and enemies. Not to mention I found him to be a really interesting character, and I’d like to see him get some more development, and story thrown his way. Who wouldn’t love to see this cuddly Elite make a comeback?

 

#2 – Chief On The Run
 

Some of the rumors floating around as to why the Chief is now adorned in a robe/poncho really interest me as well, and I’d like to see that play a part in the next game as well. The whole rumor/theory is that Master Chief is wearing this poncho to conceal his identity from the UNSC forces and has went into “hiding” and could play into the story. Or, it’s just to stop his armor from being eroded by the sand on this desert-like planet. However, it would be neat to see something along the lines of some type of “rogue sector” of the UNSC trying to eliminate Chief. I just think it would be neat to thrust the Chief into an environment where’s alone without any allies, and I think it could work considering the ending of Halo 4.



#3 – Covenant/UNSC Team-Up

The image above has given light to some rumors of a Covenant/UNSC colony considering that one of the ships appears to be a Covenant Phantom re purposed for Human use. So, either the UNSC has been learning to design Covenant vehicles, or we’re going to see another ‘team-up’ like we had in Halo 3 to unite against a single threat. Instead of it being the Flood, it seems to be the Protheans/Forerunners this time around.

Not to mention this looks like a colony, and I can’t contain my excitement as to how awesome it would be to explore a colony for both Covenant forces, and UNSC forces. Plus, it just opens up the possibility at a return for The Arbiter.


 

#4 – Revamped Forge Mode

I’d also like to think with a release on the Xbox One we could see a more advanced iteration of Forge Mode. Imagine the possibilities if this next Forge release had a more Far Cry-esque feel to it, and we could generate the levels completely from scratch. If we can finally have this sort of Map Editor in a Halo game I could truly die a happy gamer. I can only imagine what kinds of levels we would see coming from the community. I think it would truly redefine the multiplayer aspect of the Halo series, and not to mention what it could do for Machinima series like Red Vs Blue.
 

#4 – Next-Gen Multiplayer

Multiplayer is the main selling point for the series now, and with a release on even more powerful consoles than before I can imagine the multiplayer going to some wonderful places in terms of over-all experience, and gameplay. I’d like to see a better system than Halo 4′s multiplayer, and wouldn’t complain if a little back-tracking happened and we had a more classic approach, or something more along the lines as to what we had in Halo Reach. For me, that multiplayer has been the best yet.

Not to mention we could probably see more in terms of customization for the player characters, but maybe we can have a return to playable Elites? I miss those guys. That being said, the formula for Halo’s multiplayer is pretty much golden already so there wouldn’t be much needed in terms of updates, and additional content. Larger maps, and more of them in the initial release wouldn’t hurt. We’d also most likely get an ever better Theater Mode, and some more gametypes to mess about with.

As long as Grifball, Team Snipers, and Team SWAT come back to the playlists in the next game I’m pretty much happy. Spartan Ops would also be a welcomed comeback for me, as that was a blast with friends, but I wouldn’t complain if Firefight came back either with some minor tweaking. Hell, there’s just so much I’d want to see in some Halo multiplayer. That being said, new weapons & vehicles is pretty much a giving. Maybe even give us Chief’s Poncho as an armor customization option too. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

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In the end, I’m pretty excited for E3 this year and cannot wait to see what we’ll get in terms of Halo goodies. That being said, do you think Halo is still a great series, and what would you like to see in the next iteration for the Halo franchise?

 

This is my opinion for both of the Articles I think that bot of them arw Excellent and Fantastic to read. Also I know that the first Article is just a Rumor but maybe it might be true. Also for the Second Article I think Halo will dominate E3 2014 because a lot of people are eager to her more information about the game and also Halo 2.

 

[Doom87er]

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