Did you forget a new Halo game was coming out? Was it just me? It’s not like I don’t like Halo or anything, I really do, I just thought they were done with everything, but Master Chief still fights. I’m sure I’ll get to this one eventually. In the mean time, 343 Studios’ is picking up after Bungie and releasing the fourth installment in the franchise, on November 6th. As the put the finishing touches on the game, they decided to release a video showcasing the weapons of the Covenant in the trailer below. Enjoy!

There are a lot of gameplay specific reasons why Covenant weapons function the way they do. The blue/purple/pink color schemes and higher-pitched sound effects are intended to contrast the UNSC weapons and make enemy fire stand out. The projectiles are intentionally slower so that when fighting AI, the player is able to react and dodge them. They also tend to drain shields faster than armor health because it adds tension and creates situations where the player feels like they are escaping a fire fight by the skin of their teeth. In short, the weapons were designed to be fun to fight against, and some of these properties work against making them fun to use.

Thanks to Examiner for the heads up! Enjoy Halo 4 on November 6th, 2012.

~Chaz