Microsoft and 343 Industries have released a new trailer showing off just some of the weaponry you'll have at your fingertips when you play Halo 4 later this year. While there will be all sorts of highly futuristic and sophisticated weaponry used by the Covenant and Forerunner enemies, the new trailer looks specifically at the UNSC arsenal.
They may not be the flashiest weapons in the game, but they are built with "function superseding aesthetics", according to 343 Industries. One reason is to make the player feel like an underdog in their fight against the Forerunner and Covenant enemies; the other is that it provides a "good starting point for new players because they already have some familiarity and understanding of the core weapon roles, making them easily relatable."
"Despite the majority of them being similar to modern day military weapons, they do have several specialized power weapons that help convey mankind’s progress when it comes to future tech," teased community manager Jessica Shea. "These include weapons like the Railgun, Spartan Laser, and Sticky Detonator."
In the trailer you'll see familiar weapons like the assault rifle and battle rifle, but you'll also see weapons that are new to Halo 4 like the Railgun. Below are a brief description of the weapons you'll see in the trailer. Head over to Halo 4's Waypoint website for more details and developer thoughts on the UNSC weapons.
ASSAULT RIFLE (32 rounds) – Standard fully automatic firearm of all UNSC branches, effective at both close-range and mid-range combat.
BATTLE RIFLE (36 rounds) – Utilizes precise, three-round burst functionality, making it a formidable mid-range, semi-automatic weapon.
DMR (14 rounds) – Premiere marksman rifle of the UNSC, offering impressive single-fire accuracy at reasonably long distances.
MAGNUM (8 rounds) – UNSC's personal sidearm of choice due to its excellence at close-range to mid-range engagements.
SHOTGUN (6 rounds) – Dominant close-quarters weapon specializing in boarding actions, breach maneuvers, and urban operations.
SAW (72 rounds) – Squad automatic weapon used in protracted engagements where sustained or suppressive fire is required.
STICKY DETONATOR (1 round) – Single-hand, short-range explosives launcher which can detonate remotely and at the operator's discretion.
RAILGUN (1 round) – Powerful linear accelerator that fires explosive rounds at tremendous speed to efficiently eliminate targets.
SPARTAN LASER (4 shots) – Formidable nonlinear coherent light rifle that is highly proficient at destroying vehicles over impressively long distances.
ROCKET LAUNCHER (2 rockets) – Devastating from close-range to mid-range, capable of tracking airborne vehicles after locking onto them.
SNIPER RIFLE (4 rounds) – Considered the UNSC's best long-range rifle, boasting formidable stopping power and unparalleled accuracy.
