Microsoft Expertzone has taken it upon themselves to grill 343 Industries about the upcoming addition to the Halo lineup. In the lengthy Q&A session, 343 discussed what it was like to take on the Halo franchise and how they intended to fill the rather large shoes left behind. They stated that the "feel and soul" of the game were vital. While attempting to make the game bigger and better, 343 was careful to remember Halo's roots.
"Living up to what Halo is, was and just is importantly will be, is the toughest thing for everyone in the studio. In part, that’s because Halo means so many different things to so many different people," they said. "Everything from the way the skyboxes look, to the way a Warthog handles has to not only feel or look right, it has to feel or look better too. That’s tough. I’m not suggesting we’ll get there 100% of the time, but I am saying that’s our target. That’s our focus."
According to 343, Halo 4 will not have a public beta and they are limiting testing to Microsoft employees or partners. If that is dissapointing to hear, you might be pleased by the news that even though this new title is the first in a trilogy – or "saga" as 343 is now calling it – the ending will succinctly wrap up the current story and not leave gamers dangling.
Multiplayer career progression will be different than prior Halo titles, combining traditional methods with Spartan Ops. 343 went on to explain that the sandbox tie-ins between the single- and multiplayer experience may initially seem light, but Spartan Ops will involve "deep and compelling" fiction.
343 couldn't discuss indepth plot points or political issues within the game, but did allude that gamers looking for DLC content outside of multiplayer will be pleased. When asked about additional content for the single player campaign, they said that Spartan Ops would "help scratch that itch."
