It’s thanks to Halo that multiplayer really took off on the original Xbox console, thanks to Bungie coming up with some addictive modes of play, and handing players the tools to craft their own experience. 343 Industries has a lot to live up to, as they shepherd a new trilogy in, but they aren’t just going to tweak the same formula, as they’ve detailed some big plans for the upcoming franchise.
“When we launch Halo 4 in November, that’s just the beginning,” Spartan Ops designer David Ellis said to IGN. “Specialisations are just another opportunity to make the play experience months and even years after release feel fresh.”
These specialisations will provide ten levels of unlockable kit, from cosmetic armour to weapons, emblems and skins for your arsenal, and working your way up to level ten gives you a gameplay-changing modifier to utilise.
Specialisations will also influence classes, which can be further unlocked the more you play. Players will all start out as the Pioneer initially, a class that earns points quicker, but has been designed to eliminate exploits, as Ellis explained;
For Fast Track, you only get extra XP for the amount of time you were using it. You can’t just turn it on right at the end of a match and think you’re going to get extra XP for everything you did in a match.
The other classes are Wetworks, Engineer, Tracker, Rogue, Stalker, Pathfinder and Operator. Things are looking more tactical now in Halo 4, a side that some players may not be comfortable with. After all, why has 343 refused to create a class that gains extra XP whenever a player teabags a foe?
Halo 4 is out later this year, on Xbox 360.
Last Updated: August 16, 2012
