A lot change is in store for Halo 4. Not only does Master Chief find himself adrift on a shadowy Forerunner planet, but his longtime loyal companion, Cortana, is an enigma - she's certainly not the guardian angel Chief once knew. Taken in conjunction with the tweaks and twists of multiplayer, and developer 343 Industries looks primed to transform the way longtime fans will enjoy the game.
Much of this has been evident in the steady drumbeat of Halo 4 news over the last few weeks - including details on the new Regicide mode, insight on the campaign and Spartan Ops cooperative mode, and even footage of Conan's first multiplayer adventure. Today, the rhythm continues thanks to a wealth of new concept art and screenshots that leaked on to the Web.
Courtesy of All Games Beta, we're getting some brand new glimpses at a fragile Cortana, Chief's latest campaign stomping grounds, new design takes on classic multiplayer skins, and a lot more. The full smorgasbord of screens can be found on AGB, (some are from prior screenshot leaks we reported on) but we've chosen what (we think) are some of the more intriguing and enlightening members of group.
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The concept artwork depicting the story campaign looks a lot similar to the metallic Forerunner planet locales shown throughout the many reveals so far. The one notable standout, of course is the mysterious pod in the background that towers over the rest of the landscape. It's hard to tell if it's a weapon, a spacecraft, or some inert artifact - but since 343's developers have explicitly discussed Halo 4's theme of exploration and discovery, we're likely prone to find out.
It'll also be interesting to see how humanity - particularly Chief - gets along with the Covenant once again. The alien race sure looks hostile at this point (even the once lily-livered Grunts seem to be sporting a pugnacious scowl... then again, maybe they finally found out their entire existence is predicated on being canon fodder), but with all the past layers in Halo's fiction, we won't be too quick to pass judgement.
Fans more interested in Halo 4 multiplayer have doubtless already taken note of the aerial shot projecting a new map. While there looks to be some intense Red vs. Blue team action taking place, we can't forget about the different custom armor designs being crafted for the game as well. The bronze-tinged Spartan getup seen here is yet another extension of that, and it even looks like we may be getting custom weapon skins as part of 343's latest overhauls.
Ranters, which screens from Halo 4 stand out to you? What would you like to see 343 reveal about the game next?
Halo 4 will release on November 6th, 2012 for the Xbox 360
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Source: All Games Beta