Set in the aftermath of Halo 3, Halo 4 features Master Chief returning to confront his own destiny and facing an ancient evil that threatens the fate of the entire universe.Reggie Carolipio: It's the start of a a new trilogy taking Master Chief to parts unknown, and it might be the last Halo for the current generation of Xboxes. It will be interesting to see how the first Halo without Bungie turns out and what they will do to keep the formula fresh. For many, the multiplayer will be the only reason to pick up this one. For me, I can't wait to see where the story and Halo's world take us next ... without having to use YouTube.
Sanford May: From a critical perspective, I'm only academically interested in Halo 4. As a writer, I think stories should have a beginning, a middle and an end. The Halo series did, for the most part; after Halo 3, Microsoft seemed content to leverage the brand through prequels, spin-offs and remakes. I'm curious to see if 343 can successfully launch a new plot cycle for Master Chief. But as a gamer, I love Halo, and I'm always happy to hear about a new Halo game.
Tony "OUberLord" Mitera: The legendary ending of Halo 3 was certainly a cliffhanger, but it wasn't the only one that Halo fans have had recently. With Bungie leaving the helm and 343 Industries taking over, Halo 4 not only marks the start of a new trilogy but also the first release since the changeover occurred. It'll be interesting to see how the popular franchise changes direction, delving deeper into the ancient Forerunner species, which has remained relatively unknown up to this point, even in the expanded universe fiction. The series really hasn't seen a whole lot of innovation over the most recent releases, so I'm hopeful that Halo 4 shakes things up while still staying true to the spirit of the franchise.
Thomas Wilde: I mostly appreciate Halo 4 for its value as a strong countermove. Nintendo's announcement of the Wii-U at E3 2011 seemed a lot like an attempt to force both Sony and Microsoft to spend a whole hell of a lot of R&D money ahead of schedule in order to compete, so Microsoft hit them back with the two strongest words it knew. It's a good example of how not to flinch.
There isn't much to say about the game itself yet, as all we know about it is the trailer at this point, but it's Halo. Unless it actually causes brain cancer, it'll sell like crazy, and it's likely to be a decent game on top of that.
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