343 Industries entering "super crunch time," says campaign playable from start to finish, Spartan Ops missions and multiplayer maps now being polished and bug-tested.
More than four months separates today from Halo 4's November launch date, but it appears Microsoft is nearing completion on the new shooter. According to the latest Halo Bulletin report, developer 343 Industries is entering "super crunch time" on the project, now focusing on bug-smashing and polish.
According to Microsoft, the Halo 4 campaign is playable from start to finish, with some levels approaching "near-complete" status, while others remain in need of polish and bug eradication. Additionally, Microsoft said the first wave of Spartan Ops mode missions find themselves in a similar state, as is the case with the 10 multiplayer maps that will ship with Halo 4.
Not only is Halo 4 nearing completion, but the new live-action series Forward Unto Dawn is wrapping up. Microsoft said the cast and crew for the series recently finished their last day of shooting in Vancouver and are now entering the final stage of production. Forward Unto Dawn launches in October, and more information on the series will be shared at Comic-Con 2012 next month, Microsoft said.
Also in this week's Halo Bulletin, Microsoft shared news on Halo 4's newest revealed multiplayer map, Longbow (pictured). The company explained that it has a long history of snow-themed maps, specifically calling out Snowbound and Avalanche from Halo 3, and that this theme will continue with Longbow in Halo 4. This map will showcase one of Halo 4's unannounced game modes and saw a number of revisions before Microsoft decided on its final setup.
Longbow is a mid- to long-range map that supports vehicles like Warthogs, Mongooses, and Ghosts in its current form, and sports a number of close-range combat opportunities around base structures. For more on the map, check out the full, detailed blog post.
Halo 4 is due out on November 6 for the Xbox 360. It is a direct sequel to 2007's Halo 3 and has players taking on the role of supersoldier Master Chief. For more on the project, check out GameSpot's latest preview.
Eddie Makuch (Mack-ooh) is a News Editor at GameSpot. He works out of the company's Boston office in Somerville, Mass., and loves extra chunky peanut butter.
343 looks like they are doing an incredible job, sad to see firefight go but hopefully this spartan ops makes up for it. Either way i WILL be pre-ordering this game from mighty ape a few days before release. Glad to have the original assault rifle and br back.
7 Like I'm excited to beat another amazing halo campaign on legendary :D The only right way to play it.
3 Like This really takes me back to when I cared about a halo release... like 5 years ago.
It's going to suck, just like every Halo game has done so far.
The original Wolf 3-D makes Halo look like Junk. Halo can't even compete with N64 Goldeneye and that is just sad. 360 sucks, end of discussion.
2 Like @suprsolider Oh? Then why has every console shooter since Halo cribbed its recharging health, two-weapon limitation, melee attacks and context-based action controls? The true signs of a successful game are the hordes of imitators that fail to dethrone it.
5 Like This game looks really cool, but I'm just laughing my ass off at "campaign playable from start to finish". I can't believe we've gotten to the point where developers HAVE to tell us that their campaign won't be DLC oriented on day one.
@PSYCHOV3N0M Smh at you, for failing to read other comments replying to mine, making me realize what they're saying with the original statement.
@Iridescent406 Being able to play the campaign from start to finish is a key development milestone. Video game levels are rarely built and completed in the order that they're played in the finished game. It's usually quite scattershot, perhaps with some levels towards the end of the game being finished before the ones in the middle or even near the beginning. Pre-alpha and alpha builds of games often feature snippets of levels, or rough outlines with huge gaps in the middle. What they're saying is that they've closed those gaps, and the game can be played from beginning to end without skipping over anything. Once the content is finalized, all that remains after that point is polish and bug testing.
3 Like @Iridescent406 It seems to me like they're just trying to make a point that the game is near completion.
@Tauu But doesn't it go without saying that a game that's near completion should have a campaign that you can play from start to finish?
1 Like @Iridescent406 My guess is that game development goes in phases, one being to have the single player campaign fully playable. Once that's done they can focus on bugs, multiplayer and polish. The impression I got from the article is that they're simply pointing out how far along they are in the project, to get the fans excited.
5 Like Campaign is fully playable? I hope that it's not too short like many single player modes these days, other than that 343 should deliver in this mode!!!
3 Like I don't think it really matters whether 343 releases Halo 4 for the PC or not. Frankly, Halo should be one of your main reasons to buy an Xbox with Gold membership. Owning an Xbox without Halo is like humanity without food.
I was pretty hyped up for this game, as I never have owned an XBOX and I'm thinking about getting one this fall, but after I've seen some gameplay, I was pretty underwhelmed, at least from the multiplayer aspect. Really, they had to incorporate kill streaks?
I'm sure the game will be good, but I am curious as to how strong interest in the franchise is. I've since written-off my 360 all together after getting my fill of Halo: Reach.
6 Like @AshTrai Bungie is no longer making Halo games. They have given MS complete control over the franchise, and MS gave 343 Industries the keys. 343 have already made Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary in Novermber 2011 and I think that they will work just as hard as Bungie Studios in making a every Halo game incredible.
@Xplode_77 I think 343 also did the strategy game? Halo Wars or something like that? If so, that's definitely going to be a good thing for cut-scenes.
@MrNWatson Halo Wars was made by Ensemble Studios, the guys who made Age of Empires. I believe Ensemble Studios closed down though. But 343 did make Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.
8 Like I can not wait for this game. I don't think I will ever get sick of playing Halo. Each time they make a Halo game, I will buy it.
@aGiantSquirrel But what if it over the next trilogy it turns too much into Call of Duty? They've already added instant respawning, killstreaks and custom loadouts to the multiplayer so it can compete in the crowded FPS market...
Those are just a couple things that they have tweaked. If they would have left everything the same, it would be what everyone did with MW3 calling it a "MW2 expansion." What makes Halo, Halo, is the shields and game play mechanics. In CoD, you get shot in the back and you're done, no chance of fighting back. Halo gives that feel of being able run and recover, or bounce a gernade off the wall and do some crazy DMR/BR shot to the dude's face. That's Halo. Respawn and killstreaks and custom loadouts are all based on the game type anyways (like Infinity Slayer) and it adds some changes to keep it feeling fresh and new! I agree with Squirrel, if there is a Halo game made, I will purchase it without fail. They've never let me down!
Franchise director Frank O'Connor says 343 Industries very close to finishing development on November's Xbox 360-exclusive shooter.
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