http://blogs.halowaypoint.com/Headlines/post/2012/11/08/The-Halo-Bulletin-11812-.aspx
Yep, you heard that right, the return of SWAT! Or should I say the introduction of SWAT in Halo 4?
Beyond that BS Angel talks about weekly updates to playlists and rotational playlists based in part on population of those playlists.
-Sal
Okay, let me first say when I heard Firefight was gone for Halo 4, I was a little sad. I found that part of Reach enjoyable when I either didn’t have friends on to game with, or when I just wanted a little fun playing without having to try hard against real life people.
So when I first heard about Spartan Ops, I was a little skeptical, however interested.
Let me say this, the skepticism is GONE!
I freakin’ LOVE Spartan Ops!!!
I played yesterday with one of my gaming group buds. At first we chose the normal setting. Gawd, that was TOO easy for us. So we went for Legendary. That was still pretty easy even though there were only two of us.
In a way Spartan Ops IS Firefight. However it’s a mission based firefight. Gone are the repetitive waves. Gone are knowing where each enemy is going to spawn from.
Now we have a great story driven firefight-esque gametype that fuels your Multiplayer Spartan’s career. I’ve only payed the first three chapters for the first week and can say with full confidence that Spartan Ops is the shiznit!
Folks, you have GOT TO PLAY IT! Please do so that you can help contribute and keep this wonderful game mode around for longer than the initial 10 weeks. Take a little time away from War Games and play Spartan Ops. Even if you play it by yourself (which I did), it’s quite fun. In fact, I played the first mission with the determination that I wouldn’t die. Guess what? I didn’t! Granted this was on Normal, but still, when you see what you have to go up against… As ONE spartan, well it’s not all THAT easy.
Each mission starts out with a short clip and a breakdown of the mission at start. You hear from Sarah Palmer via another Spartan who is in charge of your mission. After performing the various, yes VARIOUS parts of the mission, you are then directed to the LZ or extraction point. In the first mission, you are tasked with taking down several bouys, then move on to killing Covies, then more Covies, this time with several vehicles, including Ghosts and Wraiths, then finally you need to take a hill that is well defended by a Phantom, many troops, and a pair of Hunters. Firefight? Nope. A WHOLE LOT BETTER!
To the crew at 343 who are responsible for creating Spartan Ops I say a hearty THANK YOU!. Consider me your most ardent supporter!
-Sal
Yikes, I hate assassinations. Hmm, going to have to try hard on that one. XP is really good for that one though.
The Dominion one won’t be as hard, just need to find some willing participants to play that game type.
I’ll be holding the first HFFL playdate next Wednesday (November 14).
There are just a few rules that everyone must adhere to when gaming with me.
First, NO trashtalking/any langauge I consider offensive. I’ll give you a warning. Keep it up and you’ll be booted.. Do not initiate T-bags.
Participation is for BLOG subscribers only. If you want to join the playdate and are a blog subscriber (read, not Twitter or Facebook…), send me a request to join and I’ll send you an invite. Do NOT include your friends unless they too are registered on the blog.
Complainers will be booted from the party. It’s distracting and brings the overall mood down for the group.
This is to be a fun event. However, I do ask that you behave nicely. This is just a game afterall, nothing to get upset over or go on a vulgar tirade about for whatever reason.
Again, the playdate is Wednesday Nov 14. 8pm EST. Likely for 2 hours, maybe more depending on participation.
I will be party lead for the whole event, no exceptions. Gametype will depend on party size.
Hope to see you there!
-Sal
Seriously, the game has ONLY been out 2 days. Give the complaining a freakin’ rest and just play the game. Play it for fun. Winning is great of course, but if you’re losing, then take that time to learn form it. Quit your sorry ass complaining.
STFU=Shut the Forerunner up…
Anyway, seriously (again) the game is going to take some adjustments on YOUR part. Each Halo game has. Why should this one be any different? It really annoys the crap out of me when people complain like this. Not so much from those people I know aren’t as good at the game. But so much so form those who are awesome at Halo. They are going 20+ K/D in games and STILL they complain. Cripes, what the hell do you want? Kills hand fed to you?
Okay, sorry folks, but I had to rant a bit. Are there things I’d like to see added/changed/taken out. Sure, but again, since the game is SO fresh, I’m VERY willing to play it for awhile to make a more educated assessment and voice a concern.
Rolls eyes until I pass out from Vertigo…
-Sal
Sound off folks. I want to know what you think about the game. Any and everything about it. Campaign, Spartan Ops, Wargames, spawning, weapons, achievements, commedations, ranking up, etc.
Let me know what you like, what you don’t, what you’d like to see added in, taken out.
Really, ANYTHING about the game. This is your chance to sound off here. I’ll be forward these to BS Angel at 343 as well as some of the devs. Your voice as Halo fans will be heard.
For the record I’m loving it. Just a slight issue with the lobby and joining games. Most everything else is good to great. Anything that isn’t is easily overcome or will be with more experience.
-Sal
Well I just finished a few hours of War Games (the new matchmaking).
I’m loving it. The game does move a LOT faster than any other iteration of Halo.
I can say right now I totally love using the DMR. Though I have a BR loadout for smaller maps.
The needler is BEAST! Wow can it tear opponents to shreads.
So far I’ve played a sampling of Capture the Flag, Oddball, BTB slayer, Flood, FFA (custom), and 4v4 slayer, Regicide and Dominion. Might be more, not sure. Some gametypes take a little bit of getting used to. I know Dominion will be fun once my group plays more of it and we can get some strategies going. Regicide is a blast. A mix of King of the Hill and Juggernaut.
Maps played on so far have been:
Haven – Not bad. I think though since this is the one I’m most familiar with, it’s not as impressive.
Adrift – I like it. It does have some tight corners and it’s a little small on the inside. Action is quick and I find many people have gravitated towards the outer edges of the map.
Longbow – I can’t wait to get some strategies going for this map. It looks great and I know I’ve barely scratched the surface of whats on the map.
Solace – Flood on this map is fantastic. Also played some CTF.
Vortex – Played a custom FFA on this map. Need to play it more. It’s BIG.
Abandon – Kind of small, though vertical. It’s a crazy king map for sure. I like it and again the pacing is FAST.
Meltdown – Wow, do I love this map. Nice and big, yet not so much that you can get from one side to the other in a short period of time. Top mid bridge is definitely where a lot of action has taken place so far.
Ragnarok – Oh hells yeah! I love this remake of Valhalla. Plays fast, the Mantis is a Terror!
I should say that vehicles in general are stronger. No longer am I getting killed with one grenade while on a ghost. They can finally take some damage and keep going! (THANK YOU 343!!!)
While I’m still ranking up and getting used to all the options available, I can say that it’s fun chasing them down. You never know who/what you’re going to face up against in slayer matches. With so many choices, it really is coming down to your preference and skill level.
Folks this is what Halo SHOULD be!
Never mind those haters who can’t accept change. Has 343 taken from other games? Sure, but it’s some of the BEST from those games. So really, I can’t see a reason to complain.
Halo is a constantly evolving franchise. Thank goodness. If it weren’t then it would have died off 5 years ago after Halo 3.
I for one am happy with the direction that 343 has taken the franchise. Certainly multiplayer (no War games). The campaign was fun, though I’m still a little cloudy on the ending. I haven’t played Spartan Ops yet, though plan to tonight. SO I’ll have some to say about it tomorrow.
I’ll have a FULL writeup of the game in all areas: campaign, war games, spartan ops, forge, and theater; tomorrow.
Folks, if you’re on the fence, GET THIS GAME!
-Sal
Okay, I’ve got tons of campaign experience over the years. I should have known better. I’ve played them all starting out on heroic.
I chose normal this go around thinking it might be harder coming from a new developer. Well and I kinda wanted to get to the ending quicker…
I should have listened to my instinct instead and gone with what I’ve always done.
So folks, if you’re a seasoned Halo vet and haven’t played campaign yet, do yourselves a favor and play on at least heroic for some challenge.
More to come latter, I’ve got some more Halo to play today! War games and Spartan Ops reviews incoming!
-Sal
I voted even though I know who already wins. Why Master Chief of course.
Seriously though, if you’re from the USA, like I am, PLEASE do your civic duty and vote. I won’t say who I think you should vote for, just vote.
Heh, think about it though, this is another version of Red (Republicans) Vs Blue (Democrats).
Alrighty folks, I’m going to be knee deep in campaign for the next day or so. Articles will be posted, just not as much. Then back to normal posting on Thursday. I should have the last Forward Unto Dawn graphic novel done then.
I’m also working on the graphic novel for the first episode of Spartan Ops! Woot!!!
-Sal
Okay having been able to play some of War Games (multiplayer) during New York Comicon and now having played some campaign, I have to say, THIS IS HALO!
I love the gameplay. However what REALLY stands out to me are the graphics.
I had the same moment when I put Halo 3 in for the first time 5 years ago and played my first game on the 360. Those graphics were very good for the time.
Halo 4 is BETTER! 343 has managed to squeeze out everything the 360 can give us. It’s just BEAUTIFUL.
It will take just a short time to get adjusted to the new menus, but they are not all that difficult. I was busy most of the night last night with the blog, so I haven’t been able to play as much as I wanted. However, I will after a short nap (been up 24 hours now).
Then I’ll have more of a breakdown of the game.
In the meantime go over to HaloWaypoint.com and check out the new interface. Lots of great new and revised content there.
See you on Requiem!
-Sal
Okay folks, if you didn’t get the Limited Edition, here is what you get:
The main box itself comes with a nice magnetic flap on it. As well, you can see these are numbered. Damn, if mine is 392097, how limited is this? It is folks. These are just about sold out everywhere. If you find it, GET IT!
The game comes in a nice tin case. As you can see it has two discs. One for Multiplayer, one for Campaign.
In the Red Foil are your codes for exclusive stuff. This includes Forward Unto Dawn the webisode series, a 14 day GOLD trial, as well as the recruit armor, AR skin, Avatar Recruit armor, Emblem and Avatar Cryo tube.
The silver foil has a mission briefing.
The booklet (has the “Infinity” metal plate on it is very nice. On the other side is a thick plastic backing with “UNSC” engraved on it. Within are noted about the Infinity, weapons, care for armor, and more. There were also two other inserted sheets. One was a war games summary, the other a Restricted ONI message.
Finally we see a large poster with the Spartan Warrior armor and details about it and other armor.
Is it worth the extra money? That depends on the individual. For me…HELL yeah it was worth it. All the extras are great to have. The exclusive codes make it practically worth it already. And that note book is fantastic.
I definitely recommend it, if you’re on the fence about it.
-Sal
I was honored to be the guest on Podtacular tonight. We talked about the last episode of Forward Unto Dawn. We were just a smidge rushed as we both were getting ready to go to our local Halo 4 launch events, still some good stuff at the link. Enjoy!
http://www.podtacular.com/media/podtacular-330/
-Sal
I gave out a limited edition poster I created at my local Gamestop’s midnight release. Only 75 printed total. These are slightly different than the one posted below. (They did not have the Didact symbol on them.) Note you can see this version in a much smaller form to the right—>>>
Feel free to download this and print as you wish or link it elsewhere. If you do link it, PLEASE be courteous and credit me as the designer. Please credit as:
Composition by Sal Salerno, of HaloFanForLife.com
You can get an even larger (hi-res) version here:
Halo 4 HFFL release poster
Please let me know what you think of it!
Again enjoy!
-Sal
I got to my local Gamestop at about 9:30pm EST. I came with posters, Doritos, and promo cards to had out. I also brought out my prop Covenant Plasma Rifle and Plasma Pistol and let people hold them and try them out. Lots of fun!
We had a good amount of people show up. I don’t know the final count and unfortunately I was inside most of the time, so I only got one outside shot. (Also funny thing, why do I always forget to take pics of myself at these things…LOL)
Anyway, I handed out some Doritos and gave some away for answering Halo trivia questions.
I got to play some of the campaign there while waiting for Midnight to hit. I have to say the graphics are off the freakin’ chart!!! 343 didn’t just hit it out of the park, they blew it out of the atmosphere! This is SO awesome. I immediately drew a comparison to how I felt the first time I played Halo 3 on the 360. The graphics then compared to the old XBOX just blew my mind. My mind was once again BLOWN! Somehow 343 managed to really push the limits of what the graphics engine could do on the XBOX360 and it shows!
Be prepared for something MORE than awesome when you play.
Without further ado, here are the pics (sorry for the eyeflash…)
To say the night was a success is an understatement. I think I made some new LOCAL friends tonight… Thanks all for coming out! I had a blast. Now it’s time for me to have a blast of a different kind…Halo 4 Campaign!!!
-Sal
In just about 5 hours, I and many of you will be joining the rest of the world start a NEW fight!
After so long we finally have another Halo game with Master Chief.
I’ll be attending my local Gamestop in Pittsburgh. I’m handing out 75 posters I made. The poster will be available on the site tomorrow in a slightly altered version from what will be given away.
Feel free to download that when it becomes available. All I ask is that you credit me if you repost it anywhere. Please credit as: Sal Salerno @ HaloFanForLife.com
Enjoy your night folks, I’m heading out shortly to prepare. I’ll be tweeting from the event!
Please shoot me replies and e-mails ( [email protected] ) about your Halo 4 launch event experience. I’ll be collecting them up and posting them on the blog. Feel free to include pics too, the more the merrier!
-Sal (HFFL)
