As some of us have already gathered from the snippets we’ve seen of Halo 4 so far, Master Chief’s armour will be different in the game from the first trilogy, says 343′s Frank O’Connor. The armour has been given “fairly radical modifications”, many of which are “connected to the story.” He’s been out in space for a long time now, so his armour will obviously show that.
Cortana, too, will be in danger this time around Every AI has an expiration date, and Cortana is nearing hers.
“Seven years is the lifespan for a smart AI before it enters a state called rampancy,” said O’Connor. “Cortana was getting close to the end of her natural lifespan at the end of Halo 3 but she has been exposed to far more information than any other AI in existence.
“She’s going to develop some muscle from that process but it also contributes to her rampancy – that much information makes things worse.”
Halo 4 kicks off a new trilogy in the series, one which will be much more focused on the stories of Master Chief and Cortana. Halo 4 will be about the Forerunners. O’Connor hopes Halo 4 will bring back “the sense of wonder and mystery” to the Halo series.
“We’re definitely going back to that air of exploration, and putting in some surprises that I think people will like,” he said.
Halo 4 releases next year for the Xbox 360. Stay tuned for more updates.