Popcorn and soda, French fries and ketchup, binge drinking and chain smoking – Capture the Flag (CTF) and Halo multiplayer go as inseparably together as Master Chief and Cortana, and we just played 343 Industries' new take on the series' beloved objective-based War Games variant at Penny Arcade Expo (PAX).
Playing on the just announced map, Exile, the too-and-fro of vehicle control, flag management (the game type was set to 3-Flag captures to win), route closing and pew-pew strategery felt familiar enough, but featured some changes that make as much sense as they make the mode feel – dare I say – fresh again.
More notably are the tweaks made to the flag runner. Specifically, the ability to actually run is great; no one liked being slowed down while bearing the banner. Second, flag carriers can now brandish a weapon (in this case, the Magnum) instead of relying solely on the flag as a means of defense (which typically resulted in manic drop-shoot-recapture attempts). For those who prefer the patented Halo CQC of flag melee, 343 has added a comical skull-skewering kill animation, dubbed the "Flagssassination," which I admit I have no idea how to spell.
The heads-up display improves the on-screen flag prompts of yore to keep you apprised of where both flags are at all times, and in what state they're in (defend, escort, capture, etc). 343 says the more obvious prompts were intentionally implemented to help communicate clear cues to players (largely motivated by lowering the learning curve for newcomers), especially when respawning.
You've been "Flagsassinated."
Anyone who plays CTF knows that the gametype is only as good as the map you play it on, and 343 choose to debut its CTF mode on a new battleground called Exile.
An almost all outdoor, symmetrical mid-size map, Exile features two bases on opposite sides of a donut-like course that plays like an all outdoor version of Halo 3’s Rat Race. It’s vehicle-heavy – we saw a Banshee, Ghosts, Gauss Warthogs, and even a Scorpion tank – so most matches require quick teamwork to establish a vehicular foothold, or suffer the blastacular consequences. Caves and in-base halls abound, too, to duck in and out of when hunkering down to defend or wind through in the chase.
In play were also a number of Halo 4’s custom loadouts, weapons, armor abilities, and tactical packages. Two that stood out were the Thruster Pack and the Regeneration Field armor abilities. Both feel like improved versions of older abilities/equipment. Thruster works like a horizontal jet pack; engaging it jumps you quickly in bursts in a third-person view, yanking you out of splash damage range, making you a tough moving target, or quickly closing the gap for a melee kill. Regeneration Field works more defensively, like an updated Regenerator from Halo 3 but with a twist: upon use, it deploys a force wave that pushes opponents off your immediate six, followed by a shield regenerating health buff of sorts.
"I'm a bad, bad man."
Considering all of this, CTF plays like you’d expect it to -- and even a bit better. At its core, it’s the same CTF you’ve been playing since those LAN parties you hosted in your parents living rooms, racing across Blood Gulch in Warthogs, trying to reach the center of the map to grab rockets first. It’s still fun, there’s still a palpable cooperate-or-die sensibility to it, but the additions and improvements to the flag carrier work really well, make sense, and don’t overtly jeopardize the balance of gameplay.
Exile is also fun on the Halo map continuum. Aesthetically, it's decidedly spartan and falls somewhere between the bright, warm, mid-day look of Halo 3’s High Ground and Halo CE: Anniversary’s Firefight map, Installation 04.
For more on all things Halo 4, check out and contribute to our Halo 4 wiki. And dig a bunch of new screenshots from Exile below.
"Have a nice TRIP. See you next FALL."
Psst...don't turn around.
"Keeeee-ya!"
A look at the "Exile" map. Quaint!
Another area of "Exile."
Casey Lynch is Editor-in-Chief of IGN.com. Follow his non-sequitur ramblings about video games, '80s films and Protest the Hero on IGN and Twitter.
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