Bring Back Dual Wielding
The one thing that I've missed the most since Halo 3 is dual wielding weapons. Dual wielding - introduced first in Halo 2 - adds so much more to combat. For instance, different weapon combinations provided players with varying results. If you wanted a combination that tears through enemies' shields and opens them up for a headshot from a teammate carrying a human rifle or pistol: use dual plasma weapons. Or if you want to cover both medium and short range: Combine a Plasma Rifle or SMG with a Mauler. Even a Plasma Pistol with a Magnum for precision headshots could make quick work of any enemy in the right situation.
All of these examples, I believe, highlight the importance of dual wielding in Halo as a gameplay asset. I've always thought combat in Halo Reach suffered from not having the extra depth provided by dual wielding -- despite the addition of Armor Abilities. I'm hopeful that one of the announcements coming out of E3 this week will be the return of dual wielding to Halo's sandbox, and hopefully not as some kind of perk or modification. If dual wielding makes a comeback, it should function as a regular gameplay mechanic similar to Halo 2 and 3. I've said multiple times that my confidence in 343i lies in the belief that the studio truly understands what Halo fans want, so I hope they don't let us down on this one.
One of the things that really made the original Halo: Combat Evolved so great was it's huge play spaces. The way that Bungie started you off in the claustrophobic confines of the Pillar of Autumn, only to have you crash land on the giant open areas of Halo gave players a great contrast to the typically linear paths and tight corridors found in other first person shooters. Bungie tested the waters of a real open world game space in Halo 3: ODST, but stopped just short of taking the idea all the way.
But I think 343i has the opportunity to really take Halo to the next level by offering a truly open world experience, one that let's players pick their own path and easily return to previous areas instead of being locked out after completing a mission. The best comparison I can give would be Metroid Prime, but with more combat. Metroid Prime did an amazing job of creating a world that you really grew familiar with; one that was brimming with secrets just waiting to be unlocked. Halo games have that same mystique and could benefit from that kind of experience.
I know that 343i has already expressed that they are adding in "super hero moments" to Halo 4, but I just want to explain how I'd like to see them implemented into the game. Adding in interactive cutscenes or quick time events are things that I don't necessarily mind -- anything that gives the player some form of interaction over simply being a passive experience is fine by me, but only if it's available in regular gameplay. If the only time that the Master Chief does any of these cool things is in a QTE, then that doesn't feel as impressive.
Adding in cool abilities similar to what is seen in the Crysis games would not feel out of place in Halo. Super fans of the series already know what the Mjolnir armor is capable of from the novels, so adding in some kind of usage or energy meter that allows the Chief to run faster, jump higher, increase shield density, jetpack, perform special maneuvers, or any number of super human abilities would really add to the gameplay. Having these abilities play out in multiplayer through the use of some form of perk system wouldn't be bad, but I think that Crysis multiplayer proved this superhuman template can persist in multiplayer without incident.
There is a very good chance that the Master Chief could come into contact with other Spartans in Halo 4. Maybe even members of Blue Team, a Spartan squad comprised of some of the Chief's best friends. I think Halo 4 would be great if 343i were to have other Spartans join the Chief and accompany him through parts of the campaign as AI companions. Imagine the insane moments and cutscenes that could play out with a small squad of Spartans at your disposal. And, better yet, if they kept with tradition and added 4 player co-op along with the ability to actually play as main characters and not generic no-name Spartans, that could make for some great co-op interactive cutscenes.
I really felt Bungie dropped the ball in Halo Reach by not letting players assume the roles of the different Noble team members in co-op campaign. The fact that the different members of Noble Team were each so unique and had their own special abilities and weapons made me feel that they were wasted potential. Just imagine playing as Jorge with his huge gun, or the possiblity of using Emile to tear through the Covenant with his blade. Playing through a co-op campaign with friends assuming these roles could've made for some truly amazing moments. So if 343i were to add other named Spartans into campaign, the possibility of letting co-op players take on these roles would really take that mode to the next level.
In Halo: Reach, Bungie gave us some amazing space combat in the mission titled, "Long Night of Solace". If handled properly, 343i could take that mission and build upon it by adding large scale maps which allow for high speed dogfights and air-to-ground combat. Adding loads of new vehicle and turret types could really help to balance out the power of things like tanks and jets. Even having certain gametypes that up the number of players to 32 or more could be fun if done right. Also some new vehicle types like mechs could be really cool.
As a first person shooter, guns are arguably Halo's most important feature. Back in the early days of Halo each gun merely filled a role; the Pistol, the Shotgun, the Sniper rifle, these were all just a means to an end. But in recent years, with the popularity of games like Call of Duty and Battlefield skyrocketing on consoles, the player's desire for choice has increased. Weapon types have changed and evolved over the years in Halo, even if players haven't noticed. For instance, Halo: CE's Assault Rifle, the MA5B, is not the same as Halo 3's MA5C. The MA5B - one of my all time favorite Halo weapons - has a higher rate of fire, holds twice as many rounds (60), and has a deeper, "throatier" sound than the MA5C.
343i could really take advantage of this and tweak the different models with varying rates of fire or attachments to make the weapons feel vastly different from each other. Having multiple SMG's, Assault Rifles, Sniper Rifles, Shotguns, and Launchers would really make Halo 4 feel fresh and new while still keeping a recognizeable feel. And of course new weapon types are needed. As for what those should be, I'll leave that to the experts. My only advice to them would be to think outside of the box and to not feel confined to that same old weapon category paradigm. One game that always impressed me with it's unique weapons was Prey. Sure, it still had weapons that could easily be classified into typical categories, but they all felt so unique that it was barely noticeable.
When Halo Reach came out, Bungie really upgraded the Forge Mode by adding in fixed and phased modes. Whereas Halo 3's Forge Mode was glorified Lincoln Logs, the new one gave the players the ability to construct some truly awe inspiring levels, letting players carefully define object placement and adding a massive sandbox environment known as Forge World. In order for Halo 4 forgers to feel confident in 343i, they need to include a new and expanded take on Forge and one that's possibly bigger and better than the one found in Halo Reach.
But what would be even better than that? Custom terrain. At this point the only place to go with Forge mode is up. If 343i could add the ability to create your own landscape then the possiblities are truly endless. Or even adding in a "professional mode" that gives players options on par with modeling on 3DS Max. I'm not saying that it needs to be that complicated, but the ability to create custom terrain and landscapes paired alongside custom structures, characters, and even weapons and vehicles, could give Halo 4 a Forge following that would be unrivaled. I understand that this is asking a lot and that resources required for this type of thing are astronomical, but I have full confindence that Microsoft can accomplish it.
Original 1UP.com cover story
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