Four Things Halo 4 Must Have to Not Suck - News

by Jake Weston , posted on 06 June 2011 / 31,028 Views

Arguably the biggest announcement of E3 today was the reveal of Halo 4, 343 Industries' first game and the first Halo game in the main series to not be developed by Bungie Studios. It'll hard to accept a new Halo without Bungie at the helm, but a new developer brings new blood. Of course, that doesn't mean Halo 4 will be a sure-fire success. Here are the things that 343 Industries must do to make Halo 4 work.

4. A New Threat

As intimidating as the Covenant and the Flood are, we've been fighting them for six games now. It's time for something different. The Covenant have been essentially the same five or six enemy types for the last ten years, and the Flood are an uninsipired mess. Plus, Halo 3 ends with the Covenant and humanity at peace, it'd be pretty redundant to reignite that confilict. The Halo universe is one of the richest in gaming, and 343 Industries should use this opportunity to build upon it.

3. Expanded Multiplayer

If you ask me, the Halo games have some the best multiplayer around, and it could be argued that online gaming wouldn't be where it is today without Halo. That being said, Halo 4 can't succeed by just playing it safe. With Modern Warfare 3 and Uncharted 3 innovating with new, cinematic oriented multiplayer, 343 is going to have to step it up to stay relevant. Depending on what new enemies Halo 4 has, the multiplayer has the chance of being an entirely different beast.

2. Different Game Mechanics

I'm not saying that Halo shouldn't remain a First-Person Shooter, but the series has essentially had the same run and gun gameplay since the first installment, dual-wielding and vehicle jacking notwithstanding. The core mechanics are starting to show their age, so I think it's time for change. Recent shooters like Bulletstorm and Crysis 2 have shown that there is still innovation to be had in the genre, and I don't see a reason why Halo 4 can't innovate as well.

1. A Sense of Mystery

My personal favorite games in the series are Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 3: ODST, for one and only one reason: The atmosphere. The thrill of the unknown, and not knowing what the game is going to throw at you next. In Halo: CE, we were introduced to this whole universe; Who are the Covenant? What is Halo? Who built it? We were hooked because we craved those answers. The Covenant were threatening because we didn't know anything about them. Also, the reveal of the Flood in the first game completely changed the mood, almost giving the game a survival horror feel. Later games in the series really suffered, because we pretty much knew everything they had to offer. This sense of mystery was brought back to Halo 3: ODST, and its more personal story really benefited the game, despite its short length. For Halo 4 to succeed, it is going to have to go beyond just epic battles and big explosions. If Microsoft wants a new trilogy, it's going to have to intrigue us from the beginning, and give us a reason to want to know what happens next.

40 Comments

rf40928 (on 09 June 2011)

@grenadeh

The problem is its mainly your opinion. COD AND Halo both outsell games that are technically suprior to them. Why ? Mainly because the addctive formula of both games in muliplayer is simple. For most people perks do nothing to add or take away from the game.

The fact is COD and Halo both continue to be among the two best selling FPS of all time for a reason. And the only thing that will change that anytime soon is a major change to their gaming mechanics that completely alienates the core fans of either of these games.. When you start complaining about perks and small things in a game and how it has 'ruined' the game I think you have other things going on in your life. How can the addition of perks ruin any game ? It stll takes some skill ( and luck ) to get those kills which earn the perks. Most of the people complaining are the ones that lack skill and can't get those 'accomplishments'..

grenadeh (on 09 June 2011)

@rf409 Changing the game mechanics is the only way to change the game at this point. Especially in reference to CoD - the game mechanics are HORRIBLE, and have been outdated for 10 years. The only changes that have occurred in the FPS genre, namely CoD, are the additions of perks and killstreaks. These absolutely, without a doubt, completely ruined the game play of CoD. A game that once took skill, ex. Call of Duty 2, is now about kill streaks and perk combinations to be as talentless and cheap as possible. I take no enjoyment in getting a score of 120/0 when all I had to do to get there was kill 10 people in a row without dying - the killstreaks did the rest for me (BO specifically, that kind of stupid shit wouldn't happen in MW2 - retarded and incompetent as IW may be, they are better than Treyarch could everbe on their best day.)

grenadeh (on 09 June 2011)

I'm sorry, the Halo universe is one of the richest in gaming? Halo is awful. The first game was awesome. The second game, okay, still kind of cool. Halo 3? Terrible. ODST? Who let them keep making games? At least Halo Wars was an attempt to branch out and making something legitimate out of what was once a good development firm (A la myth) I have not played Reach but I had a feeling it would be the only good game since Halo 1, as it told back story. It did right? Do not get me wrong - I enjoyed the hell out of many an hour of playing Halo in LAN parties, online, in al game modes - oh oddball i miss you - but it is the franchise I'm least interested in. In fact I'm not interested in any franchise. The gaming industry needs to stop turtling and tap into it's supposedly vast army of talent, and make a NEW game. That means Square, Capcom, 343/Bungie, Bethesda, Obsidian, 3drealms, you seriously need to lock all your old shit up in a vault 1000 feet underground and not make it accessible again. Make a new game. Attempts at franchise immortality became old 10 years ago and the entire entertainment industry, not just video gaming (Thoguh they are the worst. Unfortunately I want to call hollywood the main offender - Does saw 49 come out this summer? Assholes - but more final fantasy games have come out with the same stupid mobs and the same spells and music and aura than anything ever in the history of the world.)

Cueil (on 08 June 2011)

I think the mystery is already going to be set in stone... where the eff is he anyway... also the franchise has tons of room to roll... it would be cool to be able to go through the creation of the Covenent

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dirkd2323 (on 08 June 2011)

They need to just let the Halo Series rest, its old now , atleast give it 4-5 years, there going to make a game that sucks, and its going to tarnish the Halo name, Just let it rest for awhile.

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zhenglish121 (on 08 June 2011)

Goddbless (on 08 June 2011)

To me number 1 and 4 are a given however 2 and 3 need to be left alone.

NightDragon83 (on 08 June 2011)

Halo's gameplay is dated, no matter what anyone says. For me, it was basically the spiritual successor to console-only shooters like Goldeneye and PD where it was more arcade-style point and shoot type gameplay. Halo innovated with its more expansive levels, cinematic-driven story and regenerative health and such, but now every shooter has those things. Plus, i find the multiplayer of 3/ODST/Reach to be REALLY repetitive, like, worse than COD repetitive.

mchaza (on 08 June 2011)

halo fans should worry that this doesn't end up being fan wank game, where the developers are in love with Halo which always turn out bad.

EyeAmTJ (on 07 June 2011)

COD multiplayer is trash

Feniris (on 07 June 2011)

I think that the multiplayer side of things should stay as far away from COD and Uncharted 3's MPs if it want's to be successful. You could absolutely dismantle the fanbase of this massive franchise faster than you can say "SOCOM"

Seece (on 07 June 2011)

Good list, especially agree on the last, probably why ODST is my fav Halo FPS this gen.

Ssenkahdavic (on 07 June 2011)

Not sure if the new studio should try and change the game as much as I think you want.

TC_Squared (on 07 June 2011)

I very much agree with #1. Story is what intrigues me the most when I play a game. It's also what brings me back to it.

reidlosdog (on 07 June 2011)

Iron Sights would make this game amazing.

rf40928 (on 07 June 2011)

@Jake Weston

You said the game must have different game mechanics.. I dont really agree..
If you changed the game mechanics of COD or Halo you could be essentially removing part of the formula people love the most. Innovating is one thing, changing the game's mechanics is entirely different. If you don't innovate- yes you will lose some people, but if you tinker too much with someone's baby - you'll lose alot of longtime fans quickly - more quickly then you'll gain new fans who like the changes.. I've seen it happen in other genre's and not just on consoles.. I remember when Star War Galaxies Online was at its peak and had tons of people playing - servers were so busy the lag was horrible and more servers were added - Jedi's were selling for 1 grand on ebay..then they (Sony Online Entertainment ) changed the game mechanics and esentially tried to turn it into a simpler friendlier 'Everquest' type of system and guess what ? What they (Sony ) felt was the right thing to do pissed off alot of people so much that they all quit .. in fact so many people that the game became a ghost town online within days.. what few people remained only did mostly in protest.. I logged onto a previously 'overloaded' server that now only had a few ( maybe a few dozen compared to hundreds ) people who had their characters on auto saying "Sony thanks for ruining this game" over and over.. Since then the game exist, but has been pretty much dead.. Which is why (George) Lucas Entertainment probably didnt approach Sony for this new Star Wars game coming out soon, since he wasnt pleased with how they handled Star Wars Galaxies..

Essentially they tinkered too much with someone's baby.. and I feel thats why they have had other ideas with halo...and have released other game tyes of halo such as 'Halo Wars', which was moderately successful with new fans.. but not hardcore Halo FPS fans..

Jedidiah-Rose (on 07 June 2011)

@ shadowblind

Uncharted is very addictive and fun online experience,third person shooters are more tactical and offer something entirely different to that of Halo,CoD and Killzone and it is that difference that is the attraction,after Uncharted 2 I've seen a lot of people stare blankly at their FPS catalogue lining their shelf and ask themselves: "why did I buy 40 games all with the same gameplay?"

Uncharted and Gears of War are loved for their sheer brilliance and mastery of online gameplay by many,and many more will find out over the years as they continue to sell.

Halo and CoD may be the big sellers,but that's because their FPS and FPS is simple and addictive,TPS is the way forward if your more interested in a challenege.

^^ My opinion ^^

Shadowblind (on 07 June 2011)

Did Uncharted 3 really come up as a potential competitor for Modern Warfare and Halo on the multiplayer front?

Seriously? I'd put Killzone before Uncharted, and Assassin's Creed before even that.

Calling the flood "uninspired" shows incredible amounts of new-ness to the Halo franchise. They were freaky as hell when they first appeared in Halo CE.

I agree with much of the other things though, like needing more mechanics in the game. I'd love to see some sort of parkour system put in place. Mystery is an absolute must.

kayoss (on 07 June 2011)

I own an xbox 360 and I swear to god I havent opened any of my Halo games except for Halo 3. I removed it from the wrapper and was about to play it then my xbox would not eject the damn tray. I got frustrated and went back on my PS3 to play cod. I think i got addicted to COD and even when i got my 360 fixed, i never even play the damn game. Some day I will...someday.

rf40928 (on 07 June 2011)

@ Second War

One thing this article doesnt mention is some of the people at the 'helm' of 343 industries were at one time bungie staff members.. two of which were directly involved in the development of Halo 2 and Halo 3 ..

So for Halo fans it means this game won't lose its roots, but the companny can still be a freshness to it..

rf40928 (on 07 June 2011)

One thing this article doesnt mention is some of the people at the 'helm' of 343 industries were at one time bungie staff members.. two of which were directly involved in the development of Halo 2 and Halo 3 ..

So for Halo fans it means this game won't lose its roots, but the companny can still be a freshness to it..

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kmarois (on 07 June 2011)

I have never played a full halo campaign. I can't get into fighting shiny aliens, in shiny corridors as master chief. I know everyone talks about how great a character he is, but I haven't played through a moment like that.

DonFerrari (on 07 June 2011)

If people still buy every CoD more than before it's just to prove people love to pay again for the same game... so it doesn't need to change anything to sell... I'm waiting to see people saying it will move 5M new Xbox because of it as they were crazy with ODST and Reach

Alby_da_Wolf (on 07 June 2011)

I'm sure it will be at least a decent game. But the only thing this new Halo would need to really rock is that there were less Halo titles already released before it.

Vertigo-X (on 07 June 2011)

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goddog (on 07 June 2011)

agree with #1 all the way

curl-6 (on 07 June 2011)

Totally agree, especially with #2 and #4. The series is getting stale, it needs to break new ground.

SecondWar (on 07 June 2011)

@BenVTrigger
Remember this will be 343's first game they release, most developers don't get a major hit straight away. Halo 4 could be a massive let down if its not done properly.

fastyxx (on 07 June 2011)

2 is ludicrous. You can evolve. Reach evolved. Some people liked the tweaks. Some didn't. But it was still Halo with a twist. Crysis 2? Bulletstorm? There's a reason they don't sell 10 million units.

Story progression? yes. New twists? Yes. But Halo is about melee, grenades and guns. 5 seconds of fun repeated endlessly. Don't mess with my game.

BenVTrigger (on 07 June 2011)

All Halo 4 has to do to be awesome is release......there's never been a poor Halo game.

themanwithnoname (on 07 June 2011)

Number 2 sounds like you want Halo to stop being Halo. Millions of people love the gameplay formula (which is very unique from other shooters) and I don't see any real reason for them to go about changing it.

kain_kusanagi (on 07 June 2011)

If Halo stays the same it will not suck. As it is it's one of the best game franchises around.

As for the list, here's my take:

A New Threat
I'm hoping for a return of the Forrunners who were able to escape. In exile they have grown savage and no longer care about other sientient beings. They're back to reclaim their galaxy and enslave it's residents. But Master Chief and Cortana will stand in their way.
Expanded Multiplayer
This one is a given. Every Halo game has had better multiplayer than the last. 343 Industries knows this and will make multiplayer a priority.
Different Game Mechanics
Bullcrap. Halo's gameplay is perfect and it is what makes it Halo. It feels right and it should stay that way. It doesn't need to be COD or Crysis. Halo is Halo and it should remain so.
A Sense of Mystery
This is another given. Every main Halo game has put Master Chief in a position of not knowing the full situation. Cortana figures it out and they kick ass making sure humanity has a tomorrow. Future Halo games will certainly follow this formula because the guy who runs 343 Industries is the same guy who was in charge of the storyline in the first three Bungie Halo games.

Halo is great, and will continue to be great so long as it is improved and not radically changed. Long live Halo!

ishiki (on 07 June 2011)

"to not suck" is a bit of an extreme statement. I think it can have none of those and still be a ok-good game. And I'm not a fan of halo.

Although, I mostly agree with what the article states for it to be a great game.

Pemalite (on 07 June 2011)

@Nybbas

There are some former Bungie employees working at 343 industries... Just because it's not made by Bungie doesn't mean it's not going to be influenced by the same people who worked on the previous games.