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Halo 4 multiplayer Beta Observation breakdown.


Archangel Tyrael

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halo-4.jpg

If you haven’t treated yourself to the recently leaked Halo 4 beta gameplay video that popped up on NeoGaf over the weekend, do yourself a favor and check it out this instant. Now that we’re all up to speed, let’s take a (blurry, bizarre, and by no means official) look at some of the features on display in the supremely odd video and subsequent screenshot leaks that have the Halo community buzzing (and doubling over with laughter given the phenomenally odd delivery system of said leak).

 

The first thing I noticed while watching the horrendously blurry gameplay video was that the speed ofHalo 4’s combat seems much faster than previous Halo games. This could be because this is actually a custom match and the speed settings have been tweaked, or it could be the result of sprint no longer being exclusively an armor ability. If it's not a custom match, then it's definitely worthy of at least some concern.

 

I mean, the addition of unlimited sprint isn't surprising, given that it's a staple of every other modern shooter, and at least 343 is trying to bake it into the multiplayer fiction, but it will no doubt change the pacing and flow of multiplayer in a significant way, and could potentially take away from that "Halo-y" feel that people have come to expect from the series. The same goes for the weapon reload and switching speeds, which look to be quite a bit snappier than in previous Halo games. Again, could be a custom tweak. Too little info to say for sure.

 

Now, 343 Industries has talked about Halo 4’s customizable loadout feature, but the following screens give us our first real look at some of the options players will be able to pick and choose from when crafting their five loadouts.

halo-4.jpg

Judging from the above picture, it looks like you’ll have six item slots to fill with two weapons, a grenade of some kind, an armor ability, a “tactical package” option, and a “support upgrade” option, the last of which remains a total mystery, as there isn't any info to suggest what this slot might be include. Although, it looks like you might be able to name each of your loadouts, which will make swapping between them during matches much easier, since you won't have to remember which combination was in slot three vs. slot five. So there's that.

halo-4.jpg

 

There aren’t any screens for weapons or grenades, so no real updates on that front. However, we do get a look at the following seven armor abilities in the above image:

  • Autosentry - Thanks to the description, we know that this ability “is an automated turret which can be deployed to defend the wearer or command a busy battlefield checkpoint.”
  • Promethean Vision - Ability to see enemies through walls
  • Regeneration Field - Sounds like it could be a combination of the Bubble Shield and Regenerator
  • Hologram - Returns from Halo: Reach, but unclear if it works exactly the same way
  • Hardlight Shield - A possible upgrade to the Bubble Shield?
  • Active Camouflage - A Halo staple at this point that will most likely function similarly to previous games
  • Thruster Pack - Sounds like the new jetpack, but it could also double as a sprint booster

halo-4.jpg

The next screen shows the following six tactical packages, which look to be akin to support perks:

  • Firepower - According to the description, this allows the player to carry two primary weapons.
  • Resupply - Sounds like your standard drop ammo ability
  • Grenadier - Perhaps this gives you an extra slot to hold a third grenade type or access to a unique grenade type
  • Awareness - Guessing this affects your radar and shows you enemy positions
  • Shielding - Could this be the return of the overshield?
  • AA Efficiency - Might stand for “Armor Abilities Efficiency” in which case it could mean your armor abilities use up less energy or they recharge faster

The humorously blurry gameplay video apparently also shows the new railgun in action, but it’s pretty much impossible to tell how much damage it deals or what it really looks like in action, so squinting is your best bet at this point.

 

So a solid bit of speculative material to hold over Halo fans until E3 next week when hopefully we’ll be given a much, much, much clearer look at what 343 Industries has planned for Halo 4.

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I won't know about the entire game flow until i play it, but there are certain things that make Halo special and that's important to Halo fans.

With Halo 4, i hope that 343i aren't looking to close the gap in differences between Halo and CoD. I am by no means saying that they're copying from CoD though, that's a statement i can't agree with. But if they're trying to be just a bit more like it, that beloved Halo feeling could be gone in the blink of an eye. Or in the switch of a gun.

 

In the 2nd picture i see that the player has an Assault Rifle and a DMR in his Loadout. My question here is: What about the pistol? Will anyone even use a pistol anymore if they can just put those "bigger" guns into their Loadouts? Or will the pistol be so good that it can actually compete with those weapons? Or will it completely depend on the map that's played? In an article i read that the DMR will be good for long range and the BR will be good for mid to short ranges. So if 343i give the guns some type of damage drop over longer ranges, maybe on a close quarters map the pistol will still be used.

 

The Autosentry sounds bad to me. It's too much like CoD's killstreaks. Such a thing won't feel like Halo at all, especially when it's automatic. And how does an automatic Sentry Gun work as an AA anyways? It can be deployed, so it's not really part of the armor. Because i highly doubt that you'll lose your helmet or chest plate when you deploy that Autosentry. So it's not part of the armor and therefore can't really be an Armor Ability. It doesn't make sense to me.

 

Promethean Vision will probably have a balancing aspect to it, so i'm not all that worried about it. And all the other AA's sound alright too. Again, i'll have to play the game first before i can say more.

 

Tactical packages.. wow, again, i hope this won't take away from that Halo feeling that all us fans know and love.

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Im just really glad to see the BR back i just hope they don't keep the idea of giving it recoil that would suck

I kinda agree. They are spartans after all. If it recoils for them, a marine would have trouble. I guess itt's just a way to keep everyone from 4 shotting each other? New skill to learn.
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  • Regeneration Field - Sounds like it could be a combination of the Bubble Shield and Regenerator
  • Hardlight Shield - A possible upgrade to the Bubble Shield?

bui.jpg

I believe that this is what the hardlight shield will be. A temporary front shield that you can run with, but not be able to fire weapons/use grenades. I got this pic from this thread.

 

As for the regeneration field I think it is just a renamed regenerator from halo 3, no bubble shield type effects.

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