343 Industries, the new owners of the Halo franchise released a teaser for the next upcoming Halo game this year at E3, so here it is:
PART ONE: FACTS
It's been less than a year since the release of Halo 4. No one would have expected any kind of Halo announcements at E3 this year, and yet Microsoft and 343i surprised us with this mysterious teaser. Why? Because Microsoft's new, next gen game console Xbox One was also announced at E3, and Halo has almost always been the killer app of Xbox consoles.
So, let's get down to business. The creators for this new Halo game have told us that Halo 5 will be formatted for 60 Frames Per Second video and made exclusively on Xbox One. Also, Microsoft Studios corporate vice president Phil Spencer has announced that the new line of Halo games will no longer be called the Reclaimer Trilogy, as he says Microsoft
"Didn't want to limit the Reclaimer story within a trilogy."
That's not surprising, given the enormous popularity of the Halo franchise and the even more enormous amount of story still open to be told.
Franchise director Frank O'Conner has said that 343i
"Will do better next time," and that the studio has learned from their experiences with Halo 4.
Phil Spencer, explaining the teaser trailer, also said:
“There was no ambiguity in not putting a number after the game. For me, what we showed wasn’t the game. Nobody should be confused on that. I didn’t really want to try to show something that was clearly a thought piece by the studio around where Master Chief is in his journey, and then drop the name after it and be somewhat disingenuous about that being the game. But I did want Bonnie [Ross] to come out and say 'First-person shooter. Master Chief.' Because they'll get the questions- 'Hey, is this ODST? What are you guys doing?'. Bonnie [Ross] comes out and reaffirms that 343 is building this game. It’s Master Chief. It’s a first-person shooter at 60 frames per second. It’s coming in 2014."
343i has also stated that the upcoming Halo game will be a much darker title than its predecessor.
A final note is that a new live action Halo television series will begin on Xbox One in the near future, directed by the legendary Steven Spielberg.
PART TWO: REVIEW, ANALYSIS AND SPECULATIONS
If the upcoming Halo takes place after Halo 4 (Which it obviously does), and if it is a 'legitimate' entry into the franchise as opposed to a spin-off like Halo Wars or ODST, then why not just call it Halo 5? Well, my best assumption is that 343i wants to look at the upcoming Halo as a new beginning for Halo. Perhaps the industry feels that Halo 4 was just an introduction to the Reclaimer Saga as opposed to a full chapter in it? Or that, because of the release of Xbox One, they want to start afresh?
In any case, because of supporting evidence, it seems only fair and logical to call the upcoming Halo game Halo 5.
So, let's move onto the teaser itself. The first noticeable thing about the teaser is that Master Chief is obviously on another world--a world that has at least one large moon, which can be seen in the sky if you look very closely.
Also, the surrounding terrain is desert. Many Halo fans have theorized that the Chief is on the Ark, an installation tasked with creating, replacing and activating the entire Halo Array.
As most Halo players know, Master Chief himself activated a replacement Halo on the Ark and 'did a number on it' according to Cortana. Whether doing a number means destroying it completely or just damaging it is unclear.
Another supporting fact is that the Ark is known to have vast deserts and wastelands on its surface, and that it has at least one moon, including one that is shielded at the Ark's center.
However, there is more than one Ark. The Ark Master Chief damaged is called the Lesser Ark. It handles only the Halos with 10,000 km in diameter, while the Greater Ark creates the Halo with 30,000 km diameters. However, as you'll see, it seems more likely that Chief is located on the Lesser Ark.
Next, we notice that Master Chief is heavily cloaked and hooded. 343i has stated that the Chief is purposefully disguising himself from someone or something.
Soon after, we hear some kind of odd phantom sound, followed by a moment of anti-gravity surrounding some kind of huge Forerunner construct which emerges from the sand.
Many fans have suggested the construct could be a type of or merging of War Sphinxes or a Seeker, both large Forerunner constructs, but this seems unlikely to me, as neither are described as having wings, and Seekers have no upper cabin or 'face'.
It is very clear that the construct is Forerunner in origin, although there is the slim possibility of it being a Precursor creation.
Next, the Chief reveals an AI chip on a dog tag in his hand. The sad music accompanying the scene insinuates a memory of Cortana, but Cortana's chip was destroyed on the Didact's ship in Halo 4. I've noticed that the central section of the chip appears to have some kind of Forerunner symbol or pattern on it (But more on the chip later).
Finally, we see Chief's helmet is cracked on its right side, and that all his armor is very worn and possibly damaged. What does this mean? Could Master Chief have had some falling out with the UNSC or Humanity? How much time has passed since the events of Halo 4?
What is he doing out on his own? Why is he carrying an (Obviously dormant) AI chip?
Well, that's where a new and very interesting possibility comes into play.
Because get this: the Lesser Ark is also the home of the ancient, powerful Forerunner AI Mendicant Bias.
However, the Forerunners created a new AI, Offensive Bias, who stopped Mendicant and separated the traitorous AI into several shards.
Eons later, Master Chief and Cortana encountered a shard of Mendicant in a Covenant ship in Halo 2. Cortana managed to stall Mendicant Bias at High Charity long enough for Chief to make it aboard the ship holding the AI.
Eventually Mendicant Bias was reunited with his shards on the Lesser Ark and tried to communicate with Master Chief through Terminals in Halo 3.
One message from Mendicant Bias shows clearly his intent to communicate with the Chief:
“And so here at the end of my life, I do once again betray a former master. The path ahead is fraught with peril. But I will do all I can to keep it stable - keep you safe. I'm not so foolish to think this will absolve me of my sins. One life hardly balances billions. But I would have my masters know that I have changed. And you shall be my example.”
At this point, Mendicant had become penitent for his crimes against his creators and obviously wishes to redeem himself through Master Chief. Why the AI specifically chose the Chief is unclear, but what is clear is that Mendicant could still lie 'entombed' on the Lesser Ark.
What this could imply is that the Chief is seeking out Mendicant Bias for some reason--perhaps as a guide, perhaps as a new ally...There are infinite reasons why Master Chief could be seeking Mendicant, but keep in mind, nothing has been states--the Chief could just simply be searching for a fragment or shard of Cortana, or seeking answers about the Forerunners.
Above all, it's obvious the Chief is going to be facing an even tougher foe than before--I mean, who else could manage to bang his majestic armor up that bad when four previous games haven't even made a dint in him?
It is very possible and almost proven that the
Didact could return as the villain of Halo 5.
Besides being a great villain overall, he was not actually shown to die in Halo 4. In fact, all he did was fall into a mist of what Cortana called a 'significant slipspace event'. Meaning he could have been teleported to another planet and survived.Also, the Didact knows possibly more about the universe than any living being--he could have answers that the Chief needs in order to defeat a new or old enemy and save Humanity.
To recount the proposal that Halo 5 will be a darker story, what could be darker than the possible return of the Flood and an alliance with a reportedly rampant Forerunner AI, along with the loss of Cortana and a possible falling out with Humanity?
My personal opinion is that the Chief will be totally on his own in the upcoming title, and I am almost certain that the Flood will return as an even greater threat than before. After all, the Chief didn't fully end the Flood in Halo 3--he only defeated it and temporarily stopped it from growing more.
The Flood are still out there, the Didact could still be around, Mendicant Bias could make a comeback, Chief could be outlawed by Humanity, and there could be something far bigger looming ahead--possibly the return of the Precursors, if I'm any judge of story expansion and raised stakes.
While 343i definitely made some mistakes with Halo 4, I feel confident that they have been (Possibly since before Halo 4's development) and are working double time to produce a great Halo game for 2014, especially considering that Frank O'Connor himself has said the studio has learned from its mistakes and will do better. He also said that they've specifically learned the 'players needs and wants', which is also encouraging.
Compounding that, the game is being released on the next gen Xbox One console, and it will be exciting to see any positive changes resulting from the new console's abilities. Despite having some problems with Halo 4's gameplay, I am thoroughly enjoying the new story arc forcing Master Chief to come to grips with his humanity. The Reclaimer Saga will most definitely be an incredible ride, and I look forward to seeing where 343i takes us.
"Every Great Journey begins with a single step.
This is our beginning.
Thanks for trusting us with the universe you love and
joining us on this epic adventure."
-343 Industries.
So guys, hope you enjoyed this second trailer review and analysis on No Spoilers Allowed! Feel free to comment below and return for more epic media reviews in the near future!
Peace.
Matt~
