E3: Microsoft Announces Halo 4 (and 5, and 6)

[JohnnyDelRay]

Geez, looking at the title alone I knew this would spawn pages of elitsm, hate, fanboyism, and retorts from both sides. I don't see what the problem is...you don't like it, don't buy/play it. Obviously there are enough people out there who DO like it, so M$ makes the decision to cash in some more on it. So? If people didn't like it, M$ wouldn't have decided so, now would they? Why go through the trouble of making a whole new IP/stab in the dark when you can ride on something successful? Can you blame them? Hell, if it was me I'd be doing the same thing! And people saying stuff after like "yeahhhh they RUINED it" like Star Wars or whatever, well shit happens. I'm hoping they don't ruin Hitman as well, but if that is the case, that's tough. Personally I think the whole automotive industry is ruined by car designs that look the same, from brand to brand, even country to country. [/tangent] sorry

I've always enjoyed Halo games (except for ODST, but that's just me), I loved Reach to bits, and I'm looking forward to this trilogy. And I didn't even play the game for the story. Hell, if it's a prequel/sequel I couldn't give a damn, the games are FUN, as far as I'm concerned, that's still the most important thing ABOUT a game.

 

[LTAshler]

I'm one of the biggest Halo Fanboys you'll find anywhere, but I think the series peaked at Halo 3. Frankly, 343 is going to have to pull off something spectacular to make me change my mind. I really, really don't like that the announce (or release) was so close to Reach's release. It's looking like possible CoD syndrome. That said, I'm actually quite excited at the announce for H:Ce Anniversary. Playing it will be like drinking liquid nostalgia.

 

[LTAshler]

ok for one, i gotta ask i dont even know what games 343 made so i dont even know will the next one be good.The reason why everyone is complaining because the story is over(no covenant and flood).Its gonna be hard to continue when the threats that you face are dead.So where they going to start the story on?A part of me hates this and a part of me wonders.I am not going to lie I always expect the 4th halo game was master chief fighting his way back to earth.I must do some background check on 343 to see if their games are good.

343 is brand f'ing new. This will be their first game release other than Halo: CE anniversary (which will be released later this year.)

 

[TBman]

moviebob's not going to be happy...

 

[L33tMarvin]

ok for one, i gotta ask i dont even know what games 343 made so i dont even know will the next one be good.The reason why everyone is complaining because the story is over(no covenant and flood).Its gonna be hard to continue when the threats that you face are dead.So where they going to start the story on?A part of me hates this and a part of me wonders.I am not going to lie I always expect the 4th halo game was master chief fighting his way back to earth.I must do some background check on 343 to see if their games are good.

343 is brand f'ing new. This will be their first game release other than Halo: CE anniversary (which will be released later this year.)

well they cant screw that up in anyway then lol just copy,update,and paste

 

[The Rookie Gamer]

I'm so excited, but also weary in case they mess up the franchise. I guess I shouldn't worry to much, as a large part of 343 are people who used to work and Bungie, and understand Halo. And to people bashing a game that won't come out till a year based on the trailer, and general bias towards Halo for "dumbing down" games, at least wait to play the thing, then bash. It might give you slightly more credibility. Also, to cries of milking, maybe it's getting made because they know people like Halo, which gets bid sales, which points to them doing something right. You guys seem to be forgetting that games are a business, and developers and producers are both out to make money.

PS: Those things the Chief were using are only good for zero-g, meaning you could not fly anywhere with gravity.

 

[Lewieroo0]

oh dear, Yahtzee's not gonna like this -.-

 

[OrokuSaki]

To quote Darth Vader in Episode 3 "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!""

 

[Polarity27]

Casual games are Bejeweled, the farm game on facebook, and stuff like that... people who play games casually, not like the people who own systems and keep up on the latest sequel to a long running francise. Your aunt playing farmville on facebook is a casual gamer, and I don't think she'd sit down to blast through Halo 4.

You're looking for the term "lowest common denominator", which is the fratboy demographic

No, you're wrong. I'm a casual gamer. I spend less than an average hour a day gaming, I own fewer than 30 games. I don't play multiplayer. I'm your middle-aged facebooking mom's age and gender.

But I'm not a casual Halo fan-- I own all the novels, collector edition for two of the games, read fanfic (and would write it, if I were a bit less incredibly lazy), have played up to my body's tolerance of difficulty and keep playing and playing these games.

Don't equate casual in gaming terms with casual in fannish terms, they're two totally different axes. Hell, the biggest Halo lore geek I know *has never played the games*, just watched them played by her husband, who loves the multiplayer and couldn't give a damn about the story.

Now, on to the game... 343i, you walk among landmines, so step carefully. I'm also a Star Wars fan, so I know what it is to love a franchise and be badly burned by it. Has to be familiar enough to fit but innovative enough to matter-- hard road to walk, but I'm with the "fresh eyes could be good" people. I also think DS9 was the best Star Trek and KOTOR and NJO were the Star Wars I waited decades for, so I'm not without my biases when it comes to franchise reboots.

I remain optimistic until proven otherwise. I think it's overall a fairly well-handled franchise lore-wise, a few bungles but nowhere near as bad as SW. I've always thought this world had a ton of untapped worldbuilding potential, and I've been wanting that damn H3 cliffhanger resolved since I played it. Just fix Cortana, please. If you kill her off, I won't be happy.

 

[Thespian42]

Making an expanded storyline to a rich universe?
Cool.

Rehashing previous iterations past their conceivable narrative bounds?
Not so much.

Chief, your tale is done. Give another perspective a go, eh old chap?

 

[Dr Snakeman]

The optimist in me wants to think that this will be good... but I hate Microsoft too much to believe that. Color me skeptical, at least until I get to try it out for myself.

 

[Nurb]

Casual games are Bejeweled, the farm game on facebook, and stuff like that... people who play games casually, not like the people who own systems and keep up on the latest sequel to a long running francise. Your aunt playing farmville on facebook is a casual gamer, and I don't think she'd sit down to blast through Halo 4.

You're looking for the term "lowest common denominator", which is the fratboy demographic

No, you're wrong. I'm a casual gamer. I spend less than an average hour a day gaming, I own fewer than 30 games. I don't play multiplayer. I'm your middle-aged facebooking mom's age and gender.

But I'm not a casual Halo fan-- I own all the novels, collector edition for two of the games, read fanfic (and would write it, if I were a bit less incredibly lazy), have played up to my body's tolerance of difficulty and keep playing and playing these games.

Don't equate casual in gaming terms with casual in fannish terms, they're two totally different axes. Hell, the biggest Halo lore geek I know *has never played the games*, just watched them played by her husband, who loves the multiplayer and couldn't give a damn about the story.

Now, on to the game... 343i, you walk among landmines, so step carefully. I'm also a Star Wars fan, so I know what it is to love a franchise and be badly burned by it. Has to be familiar enough to fit but innovative enough to matter-- hard road to walk, but I'm with the "fresh eyes could be good" people. I also think DS9 was the best Star Trek and KOTOR and NJO were the Star Wars I waited decades for, so I'm not without my biases when it comes to franchise reboots.

I remain optimistic until proven otherwise. I think it's overall a fairly well-handled franchise lore-wise, a few bungles but nowhere near as bad as SW. I've always thought this world had a ton of untapped worldbuilding potential, and I've been wanting that damn H3 cliffhanger resolved since I played it. Just fix Cortana, please. If you kill her off, I won't be happy.

I'm afraid you're still mistaken. Bejeweled and the Wii are what coined the phrase because people who aren't gamers started playing them.

 

[Polarity27]

Casual games are Bejeweled, the farm game on facebook, and stuff like that... people who play games casually, not like the people who own systems and keep up on the latest sequel to a long running francise. Your aunt playing farmville on facebook is a casual gamer, and I don't think she'd sit down to blast through Halo 4.

You're looking for the term "lowest common denominator", which is the fratboy demographic

No, you're wrong. I'm a casual gamer. I spend less than an average hour a day gaming, I own fewer than 30 games. I don't play multiplayer. I'm your middle-aged facebooking mom's age and gender.

But I'm not a casual Halo fan-- I own all the novels, collector edition for two of the games, read fanfic (and would write it, if I were a bit less incredibly lazy), have played up to my body's tolerance of difficulty and keep playing and playing these games.

Don't equate casual in gaming terms with casual in fannish terms, they're two totally different axes. Hell, the biggest Halo lore geek I know *has never played the games*, just watched them played by her husband, who loves the multiplayer and couldn't give a damn about the story.

I'm afraid you're still mistaken. Bejeweled and the Wii are what coined the phrase because people who aren't gamers started playing them.

Nope, you're still not getting it. The initial poster to mention "more casual fans" was applying the adjective "casual" to fannishness, not to games. Bejeweled is a "casual game" that is played both by people who are casual about their gaming and people who are more hardcore about their gaming (please, I know hardcore raiders who also play bejeweled or angry birds while they're standing in the checkout line-- the game doesn't determine their attitude toward/involvement with gaming), it's simply a game that demands little involvement and can easily be played casually.

A person who plays games 8+ hours a day, owns hundreds of games and every console every made, follows the gaming industry's moves obsessively isn't a "casual gamer", but might still be a casual fan when it comes to Halo-- Halo is simply one of the many games they play, they don't give any special damn about its story.

 

[DustStorm]

Forget MW3. I will definitely be buying this game.

 

[Lone Skankster]

Really? You can't let it die?

Never stop beating a dead horse. You can sell its organs!

 

[Extra-Ordinary]

I am super excited, screw all the haters. I got four bucks that say he's fighting the forerunners. After all, he did destroy the ark, one of the rings, and the 343 Guilty Spark. I bet that giant death star thing is a forerunner ship trying to tell him to quit breaking their stuff.
Anyway. I'll be honest though, I am a little tentative about this. I own every single Halo there is, including Halo Wars (I don't want to hear it). But this, like Halo Wars, is not being made by Bungie. There's also the fourth sequel thing. You know, Indiana Jones, Pirates, etc. So I'd like to throw a dummy on this game before I put my weight on it. Ah, who am I kidding, I missed you, Chief!

 

[triggrhappy94]

Well I guess it was his turn.
I would have liked to see more with a different spartan, or a different time period.
But we all saw how ODST did (It was good, but not quite as good a Halo 3).

Really, how sweat would that be? MS spends all this time focusing on some other Spartan, depicting different parts of the Human covenate war (espacially more with the human-elite alliance, I liked that in Halo 2). Then after a year or two... this!
BOOM!
He's back., when everyone thought he was dead and gone.
But nahh...

 

[stutheninja]

i like the halo story, everyone knocks it, but beneath the games themselves a rich universe exists there, i want to explore that, and if it with Master Chief, than so be it. but dont hate just because its halo, i hated the elder scrolls for so long and now im a devoted fan because oblivion made me want to play the originals and actually enjoy them, i hope these new halo games help change people's perspectives on the series as a whole. but if they are bad... so help me god...

 

[Nurb]

Casual games are Bejeweled, the farm game on facebook, and stuff like that... people who play games casually, not like the people who own systems and keep up on the latest sequel to a long running francise. Your aunt playing farmville on facebook is a casual gamer, and I don't think she'd sit down to blast through Halo 4.

You're looking for the term "lowest common denominator", which is the fratboy demographic

No, you're wrong. I'm a casual gamer. I spend less than an average hour a day gaming, I own fewer than 30 games. I don't play multiplayer. I'm your middle-aged facebooking mom's age and gender.

But I'm not a casual Halo fan-- I own all the novels, collector edition for two of the games, read fanfic (and would write it, if I were a bit less incredibly lazy), have played up to my body's tolerance of difficulty and keep playing and playing these games.

Don't equate casual in gaming terms with casual in fannish terms, they're two totally different axes. Hell, the biggest Halo lore geek I know *has never played the games*, just watched them played by her husband, who loves the multiplayer and couldn't give a damn about the story.

I'm afraid you're still mistaken. Bejeweled and the Wii are what coined the phrase because people who aren't gamers started playing them.

Nope, you're still not getting it. The initial poster to mention "more casual fans" was applying the adjective "casual" to fannishness, not to games. Bejeweled is a "casual game" that is played both by people who are casual about their gaming and people who are more hardcore about their gaming (please, I know hardcore raiders who also play bejeweled or angry birds while they're standing in the checkout line-- the game doesn't determine their attitude toward/involvement with gaming), it's simply a game that demands little involvement and can easily be played casually.

A person who plays games 8+ hours a day, owns hundreds of games and every console every made, follows the gaming industry's moves obsessively isn't a "casual gamer", but might still be a casual fan when it comes to Halo-- Halo is simply one of the many games they play, they don't give any special damn about its story.

Oh yea?

 

[Srs bzns]

So yheah as soo n as I say the ending of halo 3 I called It While I do love halo I'm not going to say yay or nay until I get a better look at what 343 is going to do to it. This could be like when sonic got in the hand of sonic team. (god forbid) It might be an awesome improvement to the series. You can only pass judgement when yah have enough to judge.

I am excited though

And on another not I'm also gonna totally call the plot point where said giant warp gate is the ONLY way home and when they get there it's going to be a planet of the apes moment where tones of time has passed and everything is different.

ALSO MOAR JETPACKS!

also he used a grenade launching pistol!

Grenade launching pistol is still weaker than Halo CE's.

Yeah. I've played 1, 2, 3, Reach, ODST blah blah and I would have been have been happy to see it end there. But I'm not going to say this is bad right out.




Yet...