E3 2011: Halo 4 Impressions Preview

It was only a matter of time until Microsoft revealed word on a follow-up to Halo 3, given the last game's Legendary-difficulty ending. As expected from the recent leaks, the Microsoft E3 press conference was capped off with a teaser for Halo 4.

The scene started with a shot of bloodstream and arteries forming in black space. The teaser then transitioned to a beating heart. As the camera panned out to show off Master Chief in cryostasis, a familiar voice cried out for him to wake up: the AI Cortana. Master Chief got out, took Cortana out of the holodeck, and then flew out of the broken-down and exploding rear half of the Forward Unto Dawn ship (straight out of Halo 3's ending). While escaping, he snagged a Magnum handgun on the way and shot a part of the ship to create a makeshift exit.

As Master Chief looked on from the edge of the exit, the teaser then panned to a view of a giant unknown planet with a giant white circle in its centre. There really wasn't much to gauge from this short snippet except that Master Chief may encounter what could be the lost planet of the Forerunners, given the sleek, white-washed nature of the planet. According to Halo's backstory, the Forerunners are the ancient race who created the Halo Array. If that is the case, fans can look forward to seeing the mysterious race realized in video game form, hopefully not in a cryptic fashion.

The teaser also confirmed that Microsoft Game Studios' subsidiary, 343 Industries, will be involved. The studio will also be busy with the upcoming Halo Anniversary, which is a remastered version of Halo: Combat Evolved. Halo 4 is slated for a Holiday 2012 release. Stay tuned to GameSpot for more coverage on this sequel.