343 Industries has revealed Halo 4's multiplayer perks, which will be much like those found in Call of Duty and Battlefield, and it will be the first time that unlockables in a Halo game actually had a direct impact on gameplay. However, the developer states that Halo 4 isn't attempting to emulate those games.
"I've never worked for Infinity Ward, or Respawn - for years I bet they were asked similar questions about how it's like the multiplayer system in Halo 2 or something like that. We're not chasing anybody else's tail - all the pressure comes from inside," said ex-Bungie current 343 Industries franchise development director Frank O'Connor in an interview with Eurogamer.
"What we do take very seriously is changing player habits. So rather than chasing Call of Duty or Battlefield and trying to do their thing and doing it poorly and doing injustice to it, we're trying to do our own thing, and do something fairly original but still something that's completely compatible with the Halo universe."
O'Connor stated that Halo's main strength in multiplayer was the fact that the game is basically a "sandbox game" and nothing is scripted about it. Rather, the game's physics, the level design, and the players dictate what happens in matches.
Regardless, creative director Josh Holmes expects controversy within the Halo community. "I expect a variety of different reactions," he said. "One of the great things about Halo is we have the ability to support a variety of different play styles and play lists, create experiences that cater to different player types and community desires."
"We've a tremendous amount of respect for Bungie and for the universe that they created, and yet we do want to take our own unique view on Halo and on where we want to take the franchise is in the future. It's about finding the balance so it's still Halo yet still feels fresh," he added.
Frank O'Connor also warned Halo fans haven't seen anything yet. "What we showed today is in some ways really traditional. Some of the more revolutionary stuff that we're going to be doing is going to create more fuss, and I think it's going to be mostly positive fuss, as it's all been carefully thought out and considered."
We can't wait to see what's next.
