430°

Halo 4 perks system introduced

Halo 4's newly unveiled multiplayer perks - which, for the first time in a Halo game will have an impact on the gameplay - aren't a result of 343 Studios chasing Call of Duty and Battlefield, the studio has said.

As part of a slim first look at Halo 4, 343 Studio's first game proper since Bungie departed the series, it's been revealed that you can change every aspect of your Spartan's appearance - and that doing so would influence the way that the game plays.

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eurogamer.net
Whore_Mouth4432d ago

I agree with what they said about following the today's player, and their play habits.

I actually am looking forward to this.

I understand that people fear change, but what does Halo's core gameplay mean to you nowadays?

dark-hollow4432d ago

Oh god why perks?
Halo 2&3 are one of the most balanced MP games I have ever played.

Even field of play for everyone.
That why I like halo and if I wanted perks and broken balance I'll play cod.

Even the ranking system in halo 3 was top notch where to a certain level you want uprank till you actually improve in your gameplay and not just playing 24/7 to get to the highest rank.

When you see a general in halo you know you are about to get your ass handed to you while in most games higher ranks means nothing besides the unfair advantage of new weapons unlocked at higher ranks.

Whore_Mouth4432d ago (Edited 4432d ago )

I see what you're saying, and Halo 2 is my favorite FPS of all time. I would still be playing it today if LIVE didn't cancel it services for Xbox original titles.

I haven't read anything yet that alludes to these perks being unlocked through levels or what not. So I'm excited for that. If I do read something to the contrary then perhaps not. Until then I'm going to be hopefully optimistic.

The ranking system for Halo3 was actually pretty busted, since it was tied directly into the "True Skill system". You could play only 70+ games and get level 50 just by boosting, and using inherent flaws in the system.

If I were to bet on how the perks were available to the players, I would say through the armor that you wear. I would also go further into saying that they may be available like the COD BlackOps system, where all perks are available to you through purchase. So that everyone will have the same chance of unlocking them.

Nozzle4432d ago (Edited 4432d ago )

I was thinking the same thing

I hate perks, it just seems like the developers who do it follow what every other online game is doing, especialy COD.

It makes things more balanced without perks, I mean Halo Reaches Armor Abilities were a nice touch and didn't do anything to unbalance the gameplay but perks will. It will just feel like COD/Battlefield with a futuristic theme

Look at what happened to Uncharted's multiplayer when they added COD/Battlefield/Every other online game like changes.....it ruined it and made it really unbalanced. Instead of the amazing balanced fun gameplay from U2 it's turned to crap and it was just unecessary. You might like U3 changes...fair enough but you can't say it's better then U2 or you wouldn't like U4 to revert back to what the online used to be like.

SilentNegotiator4432d ago

You know, I used to be hard on the Halo model of multiplayer, because everyone always rushed and camped the spots where the best weapons were.

However, after playing a zillion games with perks....I miss that model so much.

Starting off all even was great. At least the people with the BFGs (the best weapons, I mean) became the top priority.

Why do these shooters keep taking the worst ideas from each other? Halo popularizes a 2 gun limit and regenerating, then COD popularizes perks. What's next? ARGH.

Arnon4432d ago

It's a shame that everyone is relating perks in Halo 4 to the perks in CoD. I mean come on... Halo is in a completely different time. The perks could actually be pretty damn cool to see.

-Alpha4432d ago (Edited 4432d ago )

I'm with you, I hate the idea of both perks, but what I hate more that I've heard is the "gameplay enhancements" coming from progression, as well as custom building class loadouts. Halo has never rewarded gameplay advantages like that, it has always been completely even

Halo was the last major game that stood against that, it is destructive and distasteful and I have no confidence that it will be fair because the very idea of the mechanic is meant to be unbalanced. All the BS the PR department says wont change that, Halo is fundamentally about equality, perks, gameplay progression unlocks, and custom classes are not.

It ruined Uncharted 3's MP for me, so many games implement it as a cheap standard to artificially preserve the MP experience, COD took it too far, and now Halo is doing it. Sick and tired of this.

snipes1014432d ago (Edited 4432d ago )

The only way I can see this working is if 1) 343 keeps the perks as balanced as they keep their weapons 2) They keep the number of them small so as not to throw too many variables into the mix and 3) If they are all available right from the start so no higher ranking players have an advantage.

My thoughts.

Drake1174432d ago

I'm sure the guys at 343 will add perks the right way. The studio still has a Bunch of ppl from bungie leading the charge. Frank O'connor even said that they aren't doing perks the same way that COD (or any other game) does them. 343 def knows Halo and Halo fans, i'm sure they will be able to add perks into their system that fits into and compliments the franchise well.

DeadlyFire4432d ago

Lets not forget Reach's perks. Jetpack, shield, speed boost, clone target, and so on.

I am hoping the aim for perks is more along those lines and not something unbalanced.

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 4432d ago
4432d ago
slavish4432d ago

can't wait to see what this studio does. I stop playing halo after 3 because i was burned out. The multiply never changed, aka call of duty, so i can't wait to see this.

HurstDarkStar4432d ago

When call of duty adds perk i cringe, when halo does im interested. wonder if im weird.

yesmynameissumo4432d ago

I think it's just the "cool to hate" COD mentality nowadays. Perks are a great addition to MP and COD revolutionized the FPS genre with their addition.

Nozzle4432d ago (Edited 4432d ago )

Or in some cases ruined it

Some games would be better off with just you and your skill. Especialy when it comes to balancing things out

ZombieNinjaPanda4432d ago

I lol every time I see someone say "Cool to hate call of duty mentality"

Do you think people like me enjoy hating it? Call of duty was my favorite series back in the day, and those assholes killed it.

StraightPath4432d ago

the video of this game looks amazing. killer game incoming.

pain777pas4432d ago

Go back and look at the Bungie Halo 3 lead up videos. Same propaganda. I hope they don't screw this up but I think they are going to "Killzone/Unchartify/CODe ed" this game. They should just let 343 make their own game and let the Halo franchise rest. I just have a strange feeling that there is going to be a GREAT divide in the community reception of this game. Plus who knows whether or not Bungie will have to counter because Activision cannot let this game get momentum and cut into their sales.

turnerdc4432d ago (Edited 4432d ago )

...not sure what your point with the Halo 3 line was. Are you saying that Halo 3 wasn't amazing? If so then quite a bit of the gaming community would disagree with you. Halo 3 is sitting at a 94 metacritic and is also one of the greatest games I've played this generation. Also not sure how Activision would "counter" as there's really nothing they can do besides release another game. Regardless of this, Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Halo have all coexisted for several years now. Each series has it's respective fans and each series has done extremely well sales wise.

pain777pas4432d ago

343 is unproven. Bungie can make the swag vidoc videos because their reputation demands it. I am just saying this because just like everyone on Gaf there is a wait and see approach that has to be taken here. Plus Reach was made already. The game could look alittle better than Reach but they are talking like Bungie were knaves and they are experts with this bigger and better crap that may just end up being bad design in the end. We will see what 343 can do soon enoughI guess.

XboxInnovation4432d ago

You can have perks and have it be balanced as long as the perks are not overpowered. Why call them perks? leaves a bad taste in my mouth, call them something else at least.

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50°

Master Chief Became More Than A Machine In 343's Halo

In Halo 4, 5, and Infinite, Master Chief became a more nuanced, human character.

In spite of the Halo series’ struggles, 343 deserves praise for adding nuance and characterisation to the ever-beating heart of Halo - The Master Chief. Playing through Infinite, it's abundantly clear that the events of the current and previous trilogies have irrevocably changed the iconic hero. He’s no longer the ‘blank slate’ that was previously presented by Bungie. He’s a fatigued, damaged and fallible protagonist, and one who is meandering through currents of grief, while reveling in his newfound agency. Giving the Chief a compelling and meaningful voice was no small feat, and 343 should be proud of that victory.

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thegamer.com
kingnick405d ago

This article completely misses part of the appeal of the original iteration of character in the original game trilogy. It was the Chief and Cortana vs an entire alien collective. The blank slate Bungie displayed in their games was genius, he was an mysterious hero a wide audience could identify with because he wasn't as clearly defined as most characters.

The books added a lot of lore and backstory but most Halo players just want a fun game with exposition that doesn't get in the way of gameplay, it's why the Cortana level in Halo 3 was derided.

Not every character has to be a damaged soyboy, a soldier has to suck it up and do his duty.

BandarHub405d ago

A lot of people give the 343 version of Master Chief a lot of slack.
But Fundamentally he is still the same character, he just has a couple more dialogues. He has not changed in terms of attitude.
"Not every character has to be a damaged soyboy, a soldier has to suck it up and do his duty."
And that's what he has done at the end of the day, he did his duty. Watch his partner die, and was ready to destroy the weapon in Halo infinite....he is still the same soilder that everyone remembers

Halo Infintes one was a nice balance between both.

slate91405d ago

Chief and the halo franchise became a joke under 343

Sciurus_vulgaris405d ago

The 343i Master Chief has is based on the books. However, in Halo 4-Infinite, the Master Chief overtime become. gradually becomes more willing to show some emotion.

Obscure_Observer404d ago

"However, in Halo 4-Infinite, the Master Chief overtime become. gradually becomes more willing to show some emotion."

Which is awesome! I love how Master Chief become more John and less soldier.

Sciurus_vulgaris404d ago

I didn’t even notice my typos,lol

50°

Halo's Identity Problem Began With an Admirable Mess

It’s a law of nature that eventually, every long-running game franchise will have a particular entry that gets dinged for straying too far from what made it so fun in the first place. Your Super Mario Sunshine, your Dragon Age II, Assassin’s Creed III, and so on. Whether or not that opinion changes more favorably over time, the initial specter of negativity will forever hover it. Microsoft’s Halo is no exception, except that negative specter hasn’t hovered over one particular game, but one whole studio.

The3faces525d ago

True Halo 4 was a sign of 343i's incompetence and the decline of Halo.

180°

10 Years Later, Halo 4 Proves Itself a Disappointing Omen for Halo Infinite

Halo 4 released 10 years ago today, and its disappointing reception was just an omen of things to come with 343 Industries at the helm.

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gamerant.com
Sonyslave3534d ago (Edited 534d ago )

Halo 4 and infinite have a 87 on metacritic and five a 84🤣. 343i need contents and everything else will play it self out.

ChasterMies533d ago

Halo 4, 5, and Infinite reviews are good examples of the pressure on review sites to score everything between 8-10 out of 10.

ChubbyBlade533d ago

As if reviews scores are any indication of a franchises health.

Halo has been in shambles for YEARS

-Foxtrot533d ago

Halo 4-6 are like the Star Wars sequel trilogy

They all just seem like a brand new games with small connections to the last one but no solid arc connecting them, you’re just told stuff that happened off screen in between the games and nothing makes sense

It’s like they didn’t plan a new trilogy out

CoNn3rB533d ago

That's actually a pretty good way to sum it up

LucasRuinedChildhood533d ago (Edited 533d ago )

I would argue that the new Star Wars trilogy is still better. lol

Most Halo fans would kill for the equivalent of The Force Awakens at this stage (a competent rehash of what came before it). Halo Infinite tried to be that but was undercooked and failed. Halo 4 wasn't that either - they started messing with the formula straight away although the story was okay.

There was nothing particularly compelling about Halo 5's story besides the fake plot they advertised. The Last Jedi is a divisive movie but as RedLetterMedia would say, it was "sporadically interesting" because it tried some new things and set up things that could have been great (like Kylo teaming up with Rey after backstabbing Snoke). That conversation with Yoda is great and it felt like the real Yoda, not that CGI thing in the prequels.
- "Skywalker, still looking to the horizon. Never here, now, hmm? The need in front of your nose."
- "The greatest teacher, failure is ... Luke, we are what they grow beyond. That is the true burden of all masters."
- "That library contained nothing that the girl Rey does not already possess." (because she already took them, haha).

The Rise Of Skywalker is the only one where loads of stuff happens off screen ("Palpatine has returned") in between and nothing makes sense because ... they just needed a main villain and 100 star destroyers to blow up. They could have done something much better.

MrChow666533d ago

no, all disney star wars sucks also disney marvel and everything godamn disney touches

533d ago Replies(3)
Yui_Suzumiya533d ago

Um, didn't Halo 4 have the best campaign out of the new Trilogy? Lol

ChubbyBlade533d ago

Yep and even then it wasn’t very good.

Levii_92533d ago

I'm getting a good gaming laptop soon and i'm finally going to play through the Halo franchise again plus Infinite but i never played Halo 4 before .. can anyone tell me how's the campaign in comparison to the games before it and compared to Halo 5 ?

Stanjara533d ago

Halo 4 campaign great, multi bad.
Halo 5 campaign trash, multi good.

Best Cortana halo 4.

ChubbyBlade533d ago (Edited 533d ago )

Halo 4 was when they started turning it into a “modern” game. Aka taking tips from CoD.

The older titles were sandbox based with weapons that all filled a niche and vehicles that did the same. Open levels with multiple ways to approach in different spots with different weapons etc.

Halo 4/5 doesn’t have that. It’s a linear shooter and nothing else. The story is alright but that’s about it. If it wasn’t a halo game, it would be ok but because it is a halo game, it’s outshone by the previous games.

It’s a hell of a lot better than 5 though. I found infinite pretty meh

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