As Xbox 360 owners look forward Halo 4 info from E3 next month, details are already slipping out early regarding the game’s multiplayer aspects. The Halo 4 multiplayer info surfaced as part of Microsoft detailing some of the features of the Halo 4 Limited Edition, which you can pre-order today from Amazon
The Halo 4 Limited Edition puts players in the boots of a Spartan-IV aboard the UNSC Infinity, which acts as the hub of the Halo 4 multiplayer career. The hub of the Halo 4 multiplayer experience is the UNSC Infinity, the largest starship in the UNSC fleet that serves as the center of the game’s Spartan multiplayer career. Here players will build their custom Spartan-IV supersoldier and progress in their multiplayer career across all Halo 4 competitive and cooperative game modes. New to the Halo 4 multiplayer experience is that gamers’ progress and game choices will affect their appearance, arsenal and role on the battlefield.
The story of the UNSC Infinity intersects with the “Halo 4” campaign, then continues on in a brand-new, story-driven experience known as Spartan Ops. A first of its kind and exciting new addition to the “Halo” franchise, Spartan Ops is an episodic adventure that blends immersive storytelling, high-quality cinematics, and action-packed gameplay to deliver an unprecedented serialized experience.
Through a weekly series of cinematic episodes on Xbox LIVE, Spartan Ops will tell the continuing story of the UNSC Infinity, following the events of “Halo 4.” These episodes will center on the UNSC Infinity leaders and crew, and a new team of Spartans – Majestic Squad. These cinematic episodes will provide the backdrop for the weekly Spartan Ops gameplay missions. Playable in single-player or cooperatively (with up to three friends), explore the corners of Requiem in these objective-based missions, and help uncover the secrets of the mysterious Forerunner world. A massive-scale adventure that builds off the Halo 4 story, access to Spartan Ops is included with Halo 4 at no additional charge – effectively delivering two campaign experiences in one game.
The competitive multiplayer modes of Halo 4, known as War Games, take place on the combat deck of the UNSC Infinity and revive the visceral and immersive experiences that “Halo” multiplayer is famous for. Halo 4 introduces fresh, immersive new game modes and strategies to help you progress your Spartan-IV career, while also delivering an experience that’s still distinctly and uniquely Halo. More details on all the modes of War Games will be released at a later time.
Halo 4 features a vastly expanded suite of new multiplayer modes, weapons, vehicles, armor abilities, a new loadout and player progression system, and a new armor modification system that introduces gameplay-enhancing customizations for the first time in a Halo game. These advancements can be used in both Spartan Ops and certain War Games matchmaking playlists, empowering player choice, vastly expanding their creative options, and make the experience deeper for core fans and more approachable for newcomers.
The Halo 4 player progression system goes beyond simple aesthetic upgrades, encouraging players to invest time and effort to create a Spartan that looks and plays the way they want. Players can earn and activate combat enhancements called “Specializations” based on the style of play they engage in, from stealth to all-out assault and everything in between.
Now, about that Halo 4 Limited Edition…. The Halo 4 Limited Edition includes:
- War Games Map Pack Access – The Limited Edition includes access to nine maps – three future competitive multiplayer map packs, each including three locations, available for download post-launch on Xbox LIVE.
(A detailed release schedule for the map packs will be announced at a later time) - Specializations – Receive early access to six Specializations, available at launch on Xbox LIVE, to achieve higher ranks in your Spartan career. In addition to gaining access to new ranks, Specializations unlock new customization options. Purchasers of the “Halo 4” Limited Edition will get access on launch day, while others will have to wait as Specializations are released over time.
- The Limited Edition also contains the UNSC Infinity Briefing Packet, which includes an armor customization schematic, a blueprint of the massive ship itself, and insight into what it means to be one of humanity’s finest warriors: the Spartan-IVs.
- Bonus digital content through Xbox LIVE:
- Unique in-game Spartan-IV armor skin
- Unique in-game weapon skin for the Assault Rifle
- An exclusive in-game emblem
- Xbox LIVE Avatar prop
- Xbox LIVE Avatar Spartan-IV armor set
The Halo 4 Limited Edition also includes the following exclusive videos:
“Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn” is a live-action digital series premiering this October on a soon-to-be-announced Machinima channel on YouTube and on Halo Waypoint.