As I post this, we are just a few sort hours from the launch of a game I have been waiting 5 years for. Halo 4 - the continuation of Master Chief's story is almost here. I can actually taste it.
I have desperately avoided spoilers and so my only insight into the events of Halo 4 are the official trailers and gameplay released by 343 studios, and the recent novels which feed directly into the Halo 4 storyline. This will be the last chance for me to speculate on what we'll see happen in the game. In a few short (or excruciatingly long) hours we'll see how right/wrong I am.
I think there will be two distinct story threads throughout Halo 4. One will center on the larger picture of humanity's role in the Galaxy and their place as the inheritors to the Forerunner. The second will revolve around making the Chief more identifiably human - something the series has failed to do to this point.
Lets begin with the bigger picture... As Halo 3 closes we see the Chief and Cortana hurdling toward a mysterious planet. We now know that planet to be Requiem and we know that it is the backdrop for the events of Halo 4. On Requiem we know the chief will face off against two foes - one familiar and the other completely new. The familiar foe is the Covenant...or more specifically remnants of the covenant who still despise humanity. But why are the Covenant even on Requiem; an unknown planet in a previously unexplored part of the Galaxy? The Covenant have traveled to Requiem because they believe the key to defeating humanity is located on Requiem.
Humanity is now militarily superior to the covenant, and the covenant knows that. But the remnants of the Covenant learn of an ancient and powerful Forerunner who despised humanity and wanted them destroyed. They learn that this ancient Forerunner - known as the Didact (discussed in previous posts) - was buried on the planet Requiem. He is believed to be dead (like all forerunners) but they believe he may have left behind weapons and technology that could be used against humanity. This off-shoot of the Covenant head to Requiem to unlock its secrets. I suspect that in reality they awaken the actual Didact (note the games tag-line in the pic above). The Didact and his forces (the Prometheons - the warrior class of Forerunners) do hate humanity and form the new foes the Chief must fend off. Unfortunately for the Covenant, I suspect the Didact has very little use for them either. In classic Halo style, this will be a 3-way war.
The second major story line is likely to be the development of the Master Chief as a more human character. The exploration of his human side will be accomplished by the Chief coming to terms with the possibility that Cortana - his closest ally and friend - may die. Smart AI's like Cortana tend to have a life span of 7 years. After 7 years AIs have acquired so much data that they literally think themselves to death. They are said to go "rampant". Cortana has been operational for 8 years. She is already pushing her luck. Moreover, with all of the Forerunner data she has been exposed to it is believed she has acquired 2X the data of any other smart AI. Expect to see Cortana fighting off the effects of rampancy throughout the new trilogy.
Other Things To Watch For -
Requiem - is the planet chief is floating towards at the end of Halo 3 and is where Halo 4 takes place.
The Infinity - This is the largest and most advanced ship ever built by humanity. Much of its power comes from newly uncovered Forerunner technology. The Infinity is three miles long! It's existence is what convinces the covenant that they can not compete with humanity without their own Forerunner technology. It is near Requiem because it is the ship that responds to Cortana's distress signal from whats left of the Forward Unto Dawn.
Commander Thomas Lasky - He is the XO of the Infinity. He was the officer who receives the Distress call from Cortana. A younger version of Lasky is also the main protagonist in the recent web series Halo:Forward Unto Dawn. In that series we find out Lasky has a unique connection to the Master Chief.
Dr. Katherine Halsey - She was thought dead. However, she was recently discovered alive and was arrested by the UNSC. She is being held prisoner on the Infinity as punishment for her involvement in the kidnapping of children for the Spartan II program. Officially, she remains classified as deceased. As a leading expert on Forerunner technology, the UNSC is forcing her to study the forerunner tech that has been uncovered since the end of the Covenant war. Halsey is an expert in AI and her brain scan was used as the basis for Cortana. I suspect Halsey will be instrumental in any effort to "save" Cortana from the onset of Rampancy. Her knowledge will also be key to uncovering the mysteries of Requiem.
The Bad Guys - It has been confirmed that the Didact is the primary enemy in Halo 4. I'm not sure of his motivations. The Didact from the recent Novels did not hate humans. He was mostly dismissive of humans, believing them to be inferior to Forerunners. I expect we will find whats changed and why he hates humans. Also I would expect a appearance or at least a discussion of the Didact's wife, the Librarian. She is known to have an affection for humans. So that might create a balance with the Didacts hatred.
The reviews of the game have been outstanding. Some have called it the best Halo campaign since Halo:CE. I suspect it will be fun for any gamer who likes shooters. But I have found that knowing the details of the Universe has made the campaigns go from good to great. I hope these past 9 posts will help non-Halo fans a better understand the universe and make Halo 4 that much more enjoyable.
Now if you will excuse me, I need to continue to count down the seconds...
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