SDCC 2012 Video Game Round-Up: Halo 4
This was the single most prominent title for me this year at San Diego Comic-Con. Sure, I had some playtime at E3, but after last weekend, I’d say it’s safe to say I have at least five hours logged into the most ambitious installment of the Halo franchise yet.
If you didn’t get a chance to read up on my gameplay impressions from E3, you can do so here. What I played last week was the same game mode and same build. This time around, I was able to kill fellow fans on Haven, and more importantly, fight Covenant baddies on a mission through Spartan Ops.
Spartan Ops
In 2004, Halo 2 touted the advancement of a new multiplayer matchmaking system for consoles. For me, not since then has a Halo game made such an impact on the video game community. Eight years later, and Halo 4 takes on one of the most ambitious tasks I’ve seen in the industry.
Spanning over thousands of years, Halo’s canon is not something to poke fun at. Since the smooth transition of reigns of the Halo franchise from Bungie to 343 Industries, every little thing matters, and every little thing must abide by the franchise’s strict canon. With that said, Spartan Ops is a fraction of what Halo 4 will deliver to our living rooms come November 6th. Upon finishing the game, normally, we’d all go and play multiplayer till the end of days. Spartan Ops introduces life after campaign.
Every week, players will receive episodic content that advances the Halo story post-campaign. With every new update, players will also receive five missions that will wrap up a small story arc and continue an overarching story. In the best interest of not spoiling fans, I won’t say what the mission entailed. On Heroic, players were able to get by one mission in 15 to 30 minutes. Granted, final release may bring about more enemies, more objectives, or something else entirely. I can only imagine playing with just you and a friend on Legendary will require much more dedication than just a standard 15 minute run-through.
Spartan Ops looks great on paper, and the ultimate test, as I’m sure 343i is undertaking at this moment, is providing consistent content while furthering Halo’s canon.
Halo 4 is set for a November 6, 2012 release date.
