Halo 4 is intended to be the first of a new trilogy of Halo series games, named the "Reclaimer Trilogy," and the first to be developed by 343 Industries. Master Chief will return as the main protagonist, and the AI Cortana returns as well.
The game's release date of on Nov. 6 is less than two months away and a few website has gotten a chance to test out the game's single-player campaign game mode. So far the early impressions are positive.
Ryan McCaffrey of IGN applauds the new heads-up display and the game's graphics engine, writing that the game is "blissfully "Halo" - but to the eye you'd be forgiven for believing this is a fresh piece of next-generation tech." As for the game play he writes that the "first full mission of Halo 4 is giving off a decidedly Halo 2 vibe."
The Huffington Post's Chris C. Anderson recently got to test out the Forerunner campaign level Forerunner, which according to the article takes place about halfway through the game. The level features narrow canyons and rocky outcrop set to a dark color palette, which Anderson writes, "looks great and has a brooding feel to it."
Anderson also writes that he set out to determine whether the new title felt like previous edition of the famed series.
"I wanted to know if the controls feel like Halo," Anderson wrote. "Without having any real opponents to fire at in any number of the classic game types "Halo" offers, it was hard to really tell, but I can say it didn't not feel like Halo."
McCaffrey writes, "Halo 4 will set the tone for the new Master Chief trilogy and give the franchise significant momentum heading into Halo 5 on the next-generation Xbox."
He also writes that if the two-missions he has played from Halo 4's campaign are an indicator of the game as a whole, the Halo series is "in good hands at 343i." It seems like the game is shaping up to be a monster first-party hit for Microsoft.
Here is the E3 2012 trailer for Halo 4...