Microsoft starting a New Fight with Halo 4 - Part 2
The main problem that 343i would be facing is how to create a new epic saga that rivals or, better yet, surpasses the original trilogy by Bungie, which received wide spread acclaim and broke many sales records.
Bungie finished the fight in Halo 3 and Halo Reach was a prequel. This might mean that 343i might have to change some of the series cannon story line which might upset most of the fan-base. 343i will also have the job of fixing some plot-holes in the story
left by Bungie in their last game for the series Halo Reach.
“Things are going to happen to Master Chief and the people around him. They’re literally going to change the universe and metaphorically change his universe,” stated Frank O’ Connor from 343 Industries. A bold decision, which might just come back and bite
343i, if the fans aren’t pleased with what 343i are doing with the story. Bioware faced similar controversy with the Mass Effect 3 endings which did not appease the fans.
From what MS has shown so far at this years’ Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Halo 4 is looking to be a stellar shooter. The Multi-player, which is Halo’s main strength, has been getting positive reviews from the top Major League Gaming (MLG) Halo Reach
players who were invited to test it out behind closed doors.
Graphically, Halo 4 looks as good, if not better, than all the great looking games on the six year old console which is showing signs of its age when compared with other PC titles. Nonetheless Halo 4 features superb visuals which push it far beyond any other
Halo game.
Neill Harrison has stated, “We’re working very hard to finish Halo 4, but long term we have aspirations to become the best games studio in the world.” Maybe they can back that up when they are not being held back by the 360’s old hardware. Halo 4 looks good
but there are other much better looking games coming out.
Many thought that Halo will lose its unique sound without Marty’O’Donnell as the composer but 343i seems to be doing a great job with the game’s audio as the music in the trailers sounds epic and the sound effects during game-play pack more punch then the
previous Halo games by Bungie. Though, it will be disappointing if MS decides to drop the main Halo theme for something new. The Music in Halo games played a great part in setting the mood during the game-play and without it the game will just feel incomplete.
Imagine a James Bond movie with a different theme.
343i is feeling really confident about the game as Phil Spencer from Microsoft stated, “With Halo 4 leading the charge, we’re confident 2012 will be the most successful year in Xbox history.” Well, that depends on how well they do against the competition
this fall.
This will be the hardest winter for MS as they go up against the third party big hitters of the industry such as Assassin’s Creed 3, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and the extremely popular Grand Theft Auto V by Rockstar. Apart from these, there is also countless
other First Person Shooter games coming out this year to contend with. There is also the upcoming Nintendo’s Wii-U console to worry about as it can turn out to be another Nintendo Wii and dominate the holiday sales. Halo 4 comes out on November 6, 2012.
DISCLAIMER: The views and the opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the editorial policy of bettor.com.
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