MASTER CHIEF returns in his first new adventure since 2007’s Halo 3. Few details have been released
about Halo 4, other than that it’s the first in a new trilogy. It is being created by a new 400-strong studio, 343 Industries, the developer of last year’s Halo Anniversary Edition. “There is a lot of pressure and from a lot of different directions,” says 343 producer Kiki Wolfkill. “But probably the biggest pressure is what we put on ourselves to create a great Halo. But it is also really exciting. “It is a huge creative challenge and you don’t get the opportunity
MICROSOFT has secured some big third-party support for its Kinect device this year. EA is
incorporating Kinect functionality into four of its biggest sports titles, not to mention the recently released Mass Effect 3. And then there’s Capcom’s Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor, which
places users in charge of a war mech. These are all games aimed at the more core gaming audience. “I think the key to Kinect is that those immersive interactions are totally complementary and that these experiences are better with Kinect,” says Xbox European chief Chris Lewis.
“Take Tiger Woods, which is the first of four EA Sports titles that come with the ‘better with Kinect’ functionality. That is going to be a really immersive golf experiences – voice enabled, body tracking, the full-blown Kinect functionality, and that is critical in order to appeal to the core audience with Kinect.
Released: Christmas 2012
to take on something like this very often.
“Ultimately the proof is in the pudding. We need to be able to deliver and that is what we are committed to. I hope over the last few years where we have started to build up 343, and with the release of Anniversary, that the fans are able to see the respect and passion we have for the IP, and trust that we want to shepherd it forward. “I think Halohas missed Master Chief little bit. And that’s not to take anything away from the games that were off the main line, but Chief is such a strong icon.”
Released: 2012
“We have been particularly encouraged by how that casual and family space has stepped up and embraced what Kinect means. I think the core audience, with some of the games I just spoke about, will also really get into the Kinect experience in a big way.”
FORZA HORIZON
FORZA 4 was last year’s most successful racing game, and now Microsoft is turning its series into an annual franchise with Forza Horizon. Very little is known about this year’s title other than that it is being developed by new UK indie studio Playground Games. “I think it is a perfect marriage,” said Dan Greenawalt, creative director at the main Forzastudio Turn 10. “We have found a great partner in Playground Games, we are really excited about the skills that they have and the ideas they are bringing to the table.” “We are trying to engage customers towards that vision,
22 March 16th 2012
Released: 2012
turning gamers to car lovers and car lovers to gamers. And right now we have expressed that vision in a very singular fashion, which is the Forza Motorsportfranchise and that is growing and there’s been a lot of innovation and quality in every version. “But we now want to get a different take on that. The reason behind the annual cadence is we believe we can reach more people, get more people excited about games and about cars.” That isn’t to say there’s not more to come for Forza 4. Turn 10 is hard at work on various DLC packs, including a new Porsche expansion (pictured left).