Well it is that time of year again, the time that gamers realize big game announcements are moving away from E3 and TGS and migrating towards more fan related shows such as Gamescom a couple weeks ago and now Penny Arcade Expo or PAX which is delivering big surprises for fans already. Halo fans were treated with a plethera multiplayer details, gameplay and a fancy new 10 minute long vidoc titled "A Hero Awakens" showing off segments of campaign clips along with more of the usual vague story details about the Master Chiefs story arc mixed in with overall tidbits of HYPE.
There it is, ten minutes vague Halo 4 campaign info, what most people will notice is of course how the game looks visually. Not only is it a huge step forward for the visuals of the entire franchise but it is rather impressive to be squeezing out this much horsepower out of an 8 year old machine, for that I applaud the team at 343 industries. What is not as noticeable is how well the progression of the story elements and how the team has tackled crafting this story match one another so well, this is something in design is what I like to call hitting your stride. When the team itself is going through the same arc that they are portraying for their characters it feels more natural, for instance Halo 4 appears to be all about taking Master Chief and Cortana and placing them outside of their comfort zone, in a new dangerous environment. Well what do you suppose all the new talent working on the Halo franchise feels like? Yes it might have been their dream to go over and work on this franchise they have adored for over ten years now but to pretend that is not a dangerous career choice is laughable.
This screen shot from the above Vidoc is a very telling one, confirmed by 343 head Frank O'connor to be a playable are in the game it resembles the tretoreous waters the team find themselves in when working on such a beloved franchise. Do you want to walk into that rubble? Take that path of destruction? Yes, because working on something you love and have passion for is indescribable, just as Master Chief is taking that walk into unknown destruction because he is also fighting for something or someone (hint hint) that he shares that love and passion for. This is the evolution of Master Chief they are striving for, his human side, to have him brace the unknown not because he is the ultimate hero but because he has an emotional reason for doing so. Explained in the new vidoc, up until a year ago voice actors for Master Chief and Cortana have never been in the same room together let alone side by side in the same sound booth and now in this new brave emotional take on the silent hero they are. By finally placing the two of them in the same room, having them meet they are striving to show emotional change in the voice actors themselves. They want them to sound as if two old friends are reuniting after years apart, just as they want Halo 4 to feel as your old friend to ease you into the changes that have taken place. Halo 4 is here to start a new chapter in the Halo franchise, a chapter of discover of who Master Chief is, what his connections to this world and inhabitants actually is, why is he fighting for them? Maybe he isn't fighting for them, maybe he fighting for her. Tune in later on today when I touch on the multiplayer details that have some in the Halo community scared, just like an old man who fears all change.
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