Samples of new music for the most anticipated game of 2012 are here along with the identity of the new music composer.  Marty O’Donnell from Bungie was a maestro composing for all games of Halo’s past.  I’m sure Marty is hard at work now composing new music for games that linger “star side” over at Bungie.  Now composer Neil Davidge picks up where Martin and Bungie left off, composing the score for Halo 4.

Davidge was the co-writer for the last three albums for the group Massive Attack.  A Trip hop, experimental rock-electronica group from Bristol England.  From what I have heard so far, Davidge uses this style mixed with orchestral which seems to fit well into Halo.  (video samples below)

This music will probably remind you of Marty’s tunes a little.  Just because I believe the music is supposed to ‘feel like’ Halo.  Enjoy.

These are new screens of Halo 4.  They look absolutely fantastic!

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This video speaks for itself.

In the May issue of Game Informer details about Halo 4′s single player campaign and multiplayer have been revealed!  Read on below and feast on the juicy details.

Campaign:

• The year is 2557 in Halo 4.  Over four years have passed since the Forward Unto Dawn broke up in space during the final events of Halo 3.  Cortana and the Chief are hurdling toward a dark world below.
• Halo 4 will be displayed in native 720p with FXAA technology.
• The Master Chief’s HUD will feature parallax movement cues and features that indicate you have a helmet on your head.
• Motion capture is used, even for the Chief and Cortana.
• Cortana’s program is degenerating or going into rampancy which is a major theme of the game as well as the Chief’s humanity.
• Cortana has chosen a new visual identity or an updated appearance.
• The Covenent returns, but this time they aren’t the main enemy the Chief will battle against.
• The FUD will crash-land on a Forerunner facility named Requiem.  This is a planet encased inside the Dyson sphere or a Forerunner Shield World.
• A new enemy will be introduced who similar to the Covenant will have different enemy types, weapon, and vehicles.  They are supposed to be in one form or another superior to Covenant forces.
• The game enviroments are described as massive and “alive”.  One jungle environment depicts a giant floating “air squid” suspended in the sky box artwork.
• Massive pillars are described as reaching down from above while the outside views are of the Dyson shell.
• UNSC Infinity is the largest ship ever developed.  Described as over 3 kilometers long (that’s over 1.5 miles!).  The ship was built in secret by the UNSC Office of Naval Intel. (ONI) inside of an Ort Cloud in the Sol System.  The ship uses sophisticated Forerunner technology like slipspace travel.  Spartan IV’s onboard will train on the combat deck of the ship.  The deck is similar to Star Trek’s holodeck or the Xmen’s danger room.
• The Master Chief will again cross paths with UNSC combat forces who are on a top secret mission during the campaign.
• Weapons from previous games will return:  Assault Rifle, Battle Rifle, DMR, Shotgun, Sniper Rifle, Magnum, Rocket Launcher, Assault Carbine, Covenant Carbine, Plasma Pistol.
• Numerous new unrevealed weapons will debut in the game.
• Spartan Points are the new in-game currency rewarded in the game.

Mulitplayer (Infinity):

• Muliplayer in Halo 4 will be known as “Infinity”.
• Call of Duty style weapon loadouts for primary and secondary weapons, grenades, armor ability types, and modifications.
• Returning armor abilities are:  Sprint, Hologram, Jet Pack, Camo.
• Sprint armor ability will be standard for everyone.
• New armor ability revealed the ability to see through walls called ForerunnerVision.
• Elites are removed from multiplayer.
• New medals for revenge kills and for distractions.  Get rewarded for killing the Dude who killed you.
• Medals are turning.
• Firefight is removed in favor of Spartan Ops mode.
• Multiplayer directly and in-directly ties into the single player campaign.
• The multiplayer uses Spartan IV’s deployed aboard the UNSC Infinity.  These are volunteers from special operation units like the ODST’s trained in the Spartan IV program and therefore not expendable like Spartan III’s.
• Spartan IV’s aboard the UNSC Infinity who train on the combat “holo” deck are red vs. blue Spartans.
• Possibly four grenade types in multiplayer.  Frag and Plasma will return.
• Regicide – A new mutliplayer FFA mode were the lead scorer is king.  Every Spartan the king kills raises his bounty and whomever kills him will claim the reward.
• Random weapon spawn points via drop pods around the map in different locations.
• No delay in player respawning.  Tap X and your immediately sent back into the match.  Ability to join a new game in-progress.
• No penalty for dropping out of a match.

Spartan Ops:

• Spartan Ops will introduce new movie sequences along with new missions and locations weekly.  This is not DLC but is included in the main game package.
• Spartan Ops missions will also award Spartan Points and feature different difficulty levels.
• This game mode will feature a story line progression to span several months.  The mode is comparable to the size and scope of the single player game.

Here is a graphic Bungie released at the end of March depicting all Halo stat tracking they have accumulated over years of play.  Click to enlarge!

Introducing an adult, and much more mature Cortana.  Possibly even a darker sentient AI than in the past games.  Cortana, a sultry, vixen, cougar woman!  Fans of the Halo series are literally in love with this character.  Yes, really!  I’m not sure if these Halo nerds really think a computerized AI is just sexy and wish they had their own, or maybe they just want to “one up” the Master Chief by pretending to gain her affection.

The relationship between these characters is interesting to say the least.  Is Chief in love with Cortana?  I’m really not sure myself, but I know he does care for her.  Not just because she’s the most powerful computer program ever, but because she has tactical value and does show she cares for the Chief’s safety.  I believe there is some sort of relationship beyond the life and death struggles they share.  Cortana seems to be looking at the Chief differently these days, and in the next iteration of the Halo franchise she is supposed to go a bit crazy from old age.  Her program has gone beyond its intended lifespan.  Cortana’s code is becoming latent and beginning to break down.  She may be turning into a nutty, older, sultry, vixen, cougar of an AI.  Watch out Chief!  Take a look for yourself at the new curvaceousness Cortana has going on here on the new Game Informer cover.  Yikes!  Only the best programmers and renderers can make her come to life ”jiggle”, in the next Halo game we’ve all been waiting for.  Yes!  The Master Chief and Cortana are back and Halo is coming home!

Halo 4 begins a new three-part journey, a trilogy for the Chief and Cortana.  As the franchise matures, so does the relationship with everyone’s favorite artificial intelligent being.  Players who enjoyed Halo: Combat Evolved almost twelve years ago are more mature themselves.  Those then ten-year old boys are now in their early twenty somethings and 343 Industries must recapture the imagination and more importantly their interest in the series.  Using a sexy Cortana to lure them back and keep them here isn’t a bad way to to it.  Let us hope the graphic artists who focus on her at 343i like playing Dead or Alive Extreme Beach Volleyball!