Where would Bungie be without it’s fans? Where would any business be without it’s customers? This customer ..err fan has some pretty strong and thoroughly laid out ideas about what would make Halo: Reach the perfect game. A few are listed below, hit the jump at the bottom for the complete package!
The campaign needs to be longer than the Halo 3 campaign. 9 missions was way to short (for me). In order to make it an outstanding campaign I want to see the following things.
- A long campaign, with at least over ten missions.
- A good story. (don’t worry about this)
- Beautiful cinematics (like those from Halo Wars)
- Missions with enough variety. enough different ways to take.
- Skulls (more skulls with funny effects)
- Co-op (possible 5 players, since there are 5 spartans on the pic above)
- Metagame (hmm.. how to improve this??)
- Easter eggs (so it’s a real Bungie game:P)
- An impressive end (good bossfight? a vehicle run to the Pillar of Autumn?)
- Flyable dropships?
- Campaign forge
What did you expect, more Halo? Bungie has graced us with several award-winning, top notch video games over the past several years, making a ton of money on them as well. It’s time to move on..
In a recent interview with CVG, Bungie senior designer Lars Bakken responds to the question “this the last Bungie Halo?” :
In terms of a platform for Halo games made by Bungie, yes. I can’t answer that question for Microsoft though. Whether they have something in the works or not, I don’t know if they’re actually ready to talk about it yet, but in terms of Bungie-produced Halo games, ODST and then Reach is probably all you’re going to get.
Microsoft’s ‘343 Industries’ wasn’t created to develop future Halo games, but instead a new set of Halo comics.
“Halo Legends,” which will be debuted at a panel presentation today at Comic-Con, is being produced by 343 Industries and features creative direction from anime pioneer Shinji Aramaki, director of the critically acclaimed “Appleseed” and “Appleseed EX Machina” anime features, and Mamoru Oshii, director of the landmark “Ghost in the Shell” movies, with additional production from Joseph Chou of J-Spec Pictures. The compilation will include a series of short stories that explore different times, themes and characters from the “Halo” universe and will be distributed globally by Warner Home Video. Other studios that are part of the project include the creators behind some of the most popular and celebrated anime to come from Japan, such as “The Animatrix,” “Cowboy Bebop,” “Fullmetal Alchemist,” “Ghost in the Shell,” “Dragon Ball” and more.
“The opportunity to work with talents such as Shinji Aramaki, Mamoru Oshii and others from some of the greatest anime studios is a very rare opportunity for Microsoft,” said Frank O’Connor, “Halo” franchise development director and provider of story and creative direction for 343 Industries. “We’ve seen the world through Master Chief’s eyes, and we’ve experienced facets of the universe through a variety of literary prisms, but now we get to watch new tales unfold in really rich, visually dynamic ways. I think anime fans and ‘Halo’ fans alike are in for a real treat.”
“‘Halo’ and its characters are a very natural fit for anime,” said Aramaki, creative director for the “Halo Legends” project. “As a fan of the ‘Halo’ universe, it is an honor to work with Microsoft and my very talented peers from other studios to create this collection.”
A preview of select “Halo Legends” episodes will first debut on Xbox LIVE starting this fall through a new experience called Halo Waypoint. Launching in fall, Halo Waypoint will be a new destination for “Halo” fans on Xbox LIVE around the world. It will inform fans of the latest “Halo” news and activities, and grant access to content ranging from podcasts, trailers and screenshots, to exclusive video footage you won’t find anywhere else. It also will provide a new challenge for Halo gamers with a career system and player rankings tied to both in-game and out-of-game accomplishments related to Halo. In addition to the limited, early episode premieres, Halo Waypoint will debut several behind-the-scenes videos that chronicle the making of “Halo Legends.”
So there you have it. This doesn’t mean 343 Industries will strictly create comics, however. Microsoft has yet to officially disclose details on what they have in plan for the studio. There will undoubtedly be more information about Halo during Comic Con, hopefully some Halo: Reach details, so stay tuned.
Update: It looks like there were a few more details about 343 Industries revealed:
343 Industries is the publisher of the blockbuster “Halo” series of videogames and, as part of Microsoft Game Studios, oversees the “Halo” franchise, including novels, comics, licensed collectibles, apparel and more. 343 Industries is home to world-class developers working on future “Halo” projects, including “Halo Legends” and Halo Waypoint, as well as partnering with renowned developers such as Bungie LLC and Robot Entertainment to produce “Halo” games for Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE.
A few Halo fans took the time to setup a staged Halo: Reach screenshot using Halo 3. Not much more information is known, not even the original author is mentioned, nonetheless, pretty sweet image.
Since any Halo: Reach news is quite sparse lately, we thought you’d enjoy this little tidbit from TeamXbox.com. Apparently, Microsoft registered the trademark “343 Industries” earlier last week. To any normal, non-gamer this probably doesn’t mean much. But to anyone who’s played Halo, ‘343′ definitely sets off a few bells. This could either be the name of a new Halo team, or perhaps the new name of the existing one lead by Frank O’Connor(Halo Franchise Development Group).
Microsoft Game Studios’ Halo team is on the lookout for a new Senoir AI Developer to work on a” new game”. one can speculate that this is probably Halo: Reach. The Job listing was put up earlier today calling for a seasoned game developer.
Microsoft Game Studios’ Halo team is looking for a seasoned game developer to help develop a new game in the Halo universe. Work on one of the most exciting and creative intellectual properties in the industry; we are gathering an incredible team to help drive the future of Halo.
As a Senior AI Developer, you are core to enabling designers and animators realize their visions on screen. The ideal candidate will be able to architect an AI system to best support the game vision. You will need to be able to collaborate with creative people and be able to deliver solid performant code in a AAA game engine. You must be a team player!
To put icing on the cake, Arron Greenburg messages back a fan that had congratulated him on Microsoft’s press conference, and i quote:
“Hello Mr. Greenberg, Just saw the Microsoft Press Conference. You guys are doing a great job. And always manage to keep us guessing. Also saw Uncharted 2 from Sony’s conference and it looks mind blowing, so when are we going to see some uncharted 2 or killzone 2 graphics on our 360’s Sir? ”
So on 13th of July exactly at 10:18 AM IST I received a reply from Aaron Greenberg aka gamertag BIGVIP. The following is what he had to say:
“Thanks man appreciate the note wait till you see haloReach.”
A couple of fake Halo: Reach title screens have made there way onto YouTube today. One user openly discloses that he/she produced the video using various editing programs. The other does not, suggesting that he/she wants others to believe that it is real Halo: Reach footage. A good rule of thumb, if so-called leaked footage only shows the title screen and doesn’t going any further than that, you can bet on it being fake. Enjoy the videos.
Comic Con is coming up pretty fast, officially kicking off on the 23rd and ending the 26th. And this year’s will be filled with gaming bigheads, including a visit from Frank O’Connor. From Comic Con’s official website:
July 23rd-4:30-5:30: The Halo Franchise: What’s Next— Frank O’Connor (franchise development director for Halo) will be joined by a number of special guests to discuss how Halo is evolving into a robust entertainment franchise and what’s coming in the future.
While they’ve yet to confirm any Halo: Reach details, it wouldn’t hurt keeping an eye on this. We’ll definitely let you know if anything is mentioned. In the meantime, I’d recommend giving a look at just who else will be making an appearance at Comic Con 09.
The question has come up frequently. Will Project Natal Ruin Halo: Reach? We don’t even have confirmation that Halo: Reach will use Natal! The guys over at IGN make light of all this mayhem with a funny video titled “Five Ways Natal will Ruin Halo”.
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