Halo: Chronicles: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Peter Jackson.jpg|250px|thumb|Peter Jackson.]]

'''''Halo: Chronicles'''''~~, officially confirmed~~ in [[~~2008]],<ref name="Bungie">[http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=13690~~ ''~~'Bungie.net''': ''Bungie Weekly Update 4/25/08~~'']~~</ref> was~~ an ''"episodic interactive storytelling"''<ref>[http://www.gamesradar.com/ive-never-heard-of-a-motion-sensing-controller/?page=2 '''GamesRadar:''' ''"I've never heard of a motion-sensing controller..."'']</ref> ~~project~~ in development ~~for the~~ [[~~Xbox 360~~]] ~~until its ultimate cancellation~~ in [[2009]].<ref name="IGN1">[http://uk.ign.com/articles/2009/07/25/peter-jacksons-halo-dead '''IGN:''' ''PETER JACKSON'S HALO DEAD'']</ref>

'''''Halo: Chronicles''''' was a video game project set in the [[Halo universe|''Halo'' universe]] in development for the [[Xbox 360]]. Described as an ''"episodic interactive storytelling"'' project,<ref>[http://www.gamesradar.com/ive-never-heard-of-a-motion-sensing-controller/?page=2 '''GamesRadar:''' ''"I've never heard of a motion-sensing controller..."'']</ref> ''Chronicles'' was to be developed by [[WingNut Interactive]], a video game development studio formed in 2006 from a partnership between [[Microsoft Studios|Microsoft Game Studios]] and director [[Peter Jackson]]. ''Chronicles'' was in development since [[2006]]<ref name="vice">[https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/the-complete-untold-history-of-halo-an-oral-history '''Vice.com''': ''The Complete, Untold History of Halo'']</ref> but was ultimately cancelled in [[2009]].<ref name="IGN1">[http://uk.ign.com/articles/2009/07/25/peter-jacksons-halo-dead '''IGN:''' ''PETER JACKSON'S HALO DEAD'']</ref>

==Development and design==

{{Quote|Joe came up with the concept of “be the bullet”. We wanted to take the player on this emotional and gameplay journey from just being human to being a modified human. Not modified in the sense that you just put on power armor, but where there’s biological shit actually happening to you.|[[Paul Bertone]]<ref name="vice"/>}}

While ''Chronicles'' was in development, a select team of [[Bungie]] employees - namely [[Joseph Staten]] and design director Mike Woo - was working in New Zealand with Jackson. Gameplay designer [[Paul Bertone]] was involved as well for some time around the time of ''[[Halo 3]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s release.<ref name="vice"/> When ''Chronicles'' was later cancelled, the team returned to Bungie to work on ''[[Halo 3: ODST]]'' instead.<ref>[http://www.kotaku.com.au/2009/09/how-and-why-halo-3-odst-was-made-in-14-months/ '''Kotaku''': ''How And Why Halo 3: ODST Was Made In 14 Months'']</ref> Staten in particular had a key role in coming up with ''Chronicles'''s story, as well as advising the WingNut writing team.<ref name="vice"/>

It was stated that ''Chronicles'' would "''focus on the intimate, personal aspect of war.''"<ref>[http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=185177 '''CVG''': ''PREVIEWS: XBOX'']</ref> The player would have been an ordinary [[Marine]] rather than a [[Spartan]] and thus also weaker than in the prior games. Over the course of the game, however, the player character would acquire an "alien arm" and eventually be transformed into a powerful [[Forerunner]] warrior known as a [[Promethean]].<ref name="vice"/>

The player would be able to switch into a different combat mode in which the only way to deal damage was through a powerful melee attack. Two weapons were available: one that would push enemies away, while the other would stun them in place. Other features included a double jump and an auto-aimed long-distance dash that could be initiated from mid-air. Many basic gameplay features were prototyped, notably a lowered camera and jump height, a slowed-down movement, and no recharging shields. These features were tested in modified versions of the first five missions of ''[[Halo 3]]''. The team found that they could downgrade surprisingly many of the player's base traits, although fewer alterations were made to weapons. Since the player would have been weaker, modifications were made to enemy behavior to retain gameplay balance. Paul Bertone and engineer [[Damian Isla]] worked on an enemy AI system called "kung-fu", in which only a couple of enemies would attack the player at a time even if more enemies were present; the others would either be hiding or in cover, only revealing themselves sporadically. Eventually, when the player was fully Promethean, they would be flying in low orbit and fighting [[Covenant cruiser]]s with the ability to turn into a missile and target specific parts of the ships. Gameplay prototyping for ''Chronicles'' was relatively far along, although because the story remained unfinished, the gameplay team could not start actually designing the campaign missions.<ref name="vice"/>

Ultimately, enthusiasm for the ''Chronicles'' project dropped as the Peter Jackson [[Halo film|''Halo'' film]] deal was cancelled; additionally, Bungie was beginning to have creative differences with the WingNut team.<ref name="vice"/> After its cancellation, many of the gameplay features prototyped for ''Chronicles'' made it into ''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''. Meanwhile, the concept of the Prometheans was later reintroduced into the ''Halo'' canon via [[The Forerunner Saga]] and ''[[Halo 4]]''. Some of the story concepts developed for ''Chronicles'' resurfaced in the Neill Blomkamp film ''[[Wikipedia:District 9|District 9]]'', in which the human main character slowly transforms into an alien in a rather similar fashion as in the planned story of ''Chronicles''. Additionally, the film allegedly re-used many of the props originally created for the ''Halo'' film project. According to Bertone, Staten "had trouble" seeing the film because of its overt parallels to his story ideas.<ref name="vice"/>

The game was to be developed by [[WingNut Interactive]], a video game development studio, formed in 2006, from a partnership between [[Microsoft Studios|Microsoft Game Studios]] and director [[Peter Jackson]].

==Production timeline==

===Announcement and development===

*On '''September 27, [[2006]]''', ''Halo: Chronicles'' was announced alongside ''[[Halo Wars]]'' at [[Microsoft]]'s [[wikipedia:X (Xbox show)#X06|X06]] trade show in Barcelona, Spain.<ref name="Bungie"/>

*In ''[[2005]]'', Peter Jackson first visits Bungie, marking the beginning of his collaboration with the studio.<ref name="vice"/>

*On '''September 27, [[2006]]''', ''Halo: Chronicles'' was announced alongside ''[[Halo Wars]]'' at [[Microsoft]]'s [[wikipedia:X (Xbox show)#X06|X06]] trade show in Barcelona, Spain.<ref name="Bungie">[http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=13690 '''Bungie.net''': ''Bungie Weekly Update 4/25/08'']</ref>

*On '''March 7, [[2007]]''', Microsoft executive Shane Kim revealed that ''"two episodic series... the first [of which] is in the Halo universe"'' were still in early design phases.<ref>[http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/07/peter-jackson-working-on-episodic-halo-content/ '''Joystiq:''' ''Peter Jackson working on episodic Halo content'']</ref><ref>[http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=13030 '''Gamasutra:''' ''GDC: Microsoft Talks Episodic Halo Xbox 360 Series'']</ref>

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*On '''July 24, 2009''', the project was announced as cancelled, although Microsoft was ''"still looking into it"'' without the involvement of Jackson.<ref name="IGN1"/> Jackson later stated the project ''"...sort of collapsed when the movie didn't end up happening."''<ref>[http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/24/peter-jackson-halo-chronicles-no-longer-happening/ '''Joystiq:''' ''Peter Jackson: Halo Chronicles "no longer happening"'']</ref>

*On '''July 28, 2009''', Microsoft stated ''"we’ve decided to put this joint effort on hold and prioritize resources against other projects like Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach and Halo Legends."''<ref>[http://www.videogamesblogger.com/2009/07/28/halo-chronicles-not-cancelled-but-on-hold-says-microsoft.htm '''Video Games Blogger:''' ''Halo Chronicles not cancelled but on-hold, says Microsoft~~'']</ref>~~

*On '''July 28, 2009''', Microsoft stated ''"we’ve decided to put this joint effort on hold and prioritize resources against other projects like [[Halo 3: ODST]], [[Halo: Reach]] and [[Halo Legends]]."''<ref>[http://www.videogamesblogger.com/2009/07/28/halo-chronicles-not-cancelled-but-on-hold-says-microsoft.htm '''Video Games Blogger:''' ''Halo Chronicles not cancelled but on-hold, says Microsoft'']</ref>

*As of '''2015''', WingNut Interactive has not published or produced any titles.

~~==Trivia==~~

*The game was stated to "''focus on the intimate, personal aspect of war...''"<ref>[http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=185177 '''CVG''': ''PREVIEWS: XBOX'']</ref>

*While ''Chronicles'' was in development, a select team of [[Bungie]] employees - namely [[Joseph Staten]] and design director Mike Woo - was working in New Zealand with Jackson. When ''Chronicles'' was later cancelled, the team returned to Bungie to work on ''[[Halo 3: ODST]]'' instead.<ref>[http://www.kotaku.com.au/2009/09/how-and-why-halo-3-odst-was-made-in-14-months/ '''Kotaku''': ''How And Why Halo 3: ODST Was Made In 14 Months'']</ref>

==Sources==

Halo: Chronicles: Difference between revisions

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@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 [[File:Peter Jackson.jpg|250px|thumb|Peter Jackson.]]
-'''''Halo: Chronicles''''', officially confirmed in [[2008]],<ref name="Bungie">[http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=13690 '''Bungie.net''': ''Bungie Weekly Update 4/25/08'']</ref> was an ''"episodic interactive storytelling"''<ref>[http://www.gamesradar.com/ive-never-heard-of-a-motion-sensing-controller/?page=2 '''GamesRadar:''' ''"I've never heard of a motion-sensing controller..."'']</ref> project in development for the [[Xbox 360]] until its ultimate cancellation in [[2009]].<ref name="IGN1">[http://uk.ign.com/articles/2009/07/25/peter-jacksons-halo-dead '''IGN:''' ''PETER JACKSON'S HALO DEAD'']</ref>
+'''''Halo: Chronicles''''' was a video game project set in the [[Halo universe|''Halo'' universe]] in development for the [[Xbox 360]]. Described as an ''"episodic interactive storytelling"'' project,<ref>[http://www.gamesradar.com/ive-never-heard-of-a-motion-sensing-controller/?page=2 '''GamesRadar:''' ''"I've never heard of a motion-sensing controller..."'']</ref> ''Chronicles'' was to be developed by [[WingNut Interactive]], a video game development studio formed in 2006 from a partnership between [[Microsoft Studios|Microsoft Game Studios]] and director [[Peter Jackson]]. ''Chronicles'' was in development since [[2006]]<ref name="vice">[https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/the-complete-untold-history-of-halo-an-oral-history '''Vice.com''': ''The Complete, Untold History of Halo'']</ref> but was ultimately cancelled in [[2009]].<ref name="IGN1">[http://uk.ign.com/articles/2009/07/25/peter-jacksons-halo-dead '''IGN:''' ''PETER JACKSON'S HALO DEAD'']</ref>
+==Development and design==
+{{Quote|Joe came up with the concept of “be the bullet”. We wanted to take the player on this emotional and gameplay journey from just being human to being a modified human. Not modified in the sense that you just put on power armor, but where there’s biological shit actually happening to you.|[[Paul Bertone]]<ref name="vice"/>}}
+While ''Chronicles'' was in development, a select team of [[Bungie]] employees - namely [[Joseph Staten]] and design director Mike Woo - was working in New Zealand with Jackson. Gameplay designer [[Paul Bertone]] was involved as well for some time around the time of ''[[Halo 3]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s release.<ref name="vice"/> When ''Chronicles'' was later cancelled, the team returned to Bungie to work on ''[[Halo 3: ODST]]'' instead.<ref>[http://www.kotaku.com.au/2009/09/how-and-why-halo-3-odst-was-made-in-14-months/ '''Kotaku''': ''How And Why Halo 3: ODST Was Made In 14 Months'']</ref> Staten in particular had a key role in coming up with ''Chronicles'''s story, as well as advising the WingNut writing team.<ref name="vice"/>
+It was stated that ''Chronicles'' would "''focus on the intimate, personal aspect of war.''"<ref>[http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=185177 '''CVG''': ''PREVIEWS: XBOX'']</ref> The player would have been an ordinary [[Marine]] rather than a [[Spartan]] and thus also weaker than in the prior games. Over the course of the game, however, the player character would acquire an "alien arm" and eventually be transformed into a powerful [[Forerunner]] warrior known as a [[Promethean]].<ref name="vice"/>
+The player would be able to switch into a different combat mode in which the only way to deal damage was through a powerful melee attack. Two weapons were available: one that would push enemies away, while the other would stun them in place. Other features included a double jump and an auto-aimed long-distance dash that could be initiated from mid-air. Many basic gameplay features were prototyped, notably a lowered camera and jump height, a slowed-down movement, and no recharging shields. These features were tested in modified versions of the first five missions of ''[[Halo 3]]''. The team found that they could downgrade surprisingly many of the player's base traits, although fewer alterations were made to weapons. Since the player would have been weaker, modifications were made to enemy behavior to retain gameplay balance. Paul Bertone and engineer [[Damian Isla]] worked on an enemy AI system called "kung-fu", in which only a couple of enemies would attack the player at a time even if more enemies were present; the others would either be hiding or in cover, only revealing themselves sporadically. Eventually, when the player was fully Promethean, they would be flying in low orbit and fighting [[Covenant cruiser]]s with the ability to turn into a missile and target specific parts of the ships. Gameplay prototyping for ''Chronicles'' was relatively far along, although because the story remained unfinished, the gameplay team could not start actually designing the campaign missions.<ref name="vice"/>
+Ultimately, enthusiasm for the ''Chronicles'' project dropped as the Peter Jackson [[Halo film|''Halo'' film]] deal was cancelled; additionally, Bungie was beginning to have creative differences with the WingNut team.<ref name="vice"/> After its cancellation, many of the gameplay features prototyped for ''Chronicles'' made it into ''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''. Meanwhile, the concept of the Prometheans was later reintroduced into the ''Halo'' canon via [[The Forerunner Saga]] and ''[[Halo 4]]''. Some of the story concepts developed for ''Chronicles'' resurfaced in the Neill Blomkamp film ''[[Wikipedia:District 9|District 9]]'', in which the human main character slowly transforms into an alien in a rather similar fashion as in the planned story of ''Chronicles''. Additionally, the film allegedly re-used many of the props originally created for the ''Halo'' film project. According to Bertone, Staten "had trouble" seeing the film because of its overt parallels to his story ideas.<ref name="vice"/>
-The game was to be developed by [[WingNut Interactive]], a video game development studio, formed in 2006, from a partnership between [[Microsoft Studios|Microsoft Game Studios]] and director [[Peter Jackson]].
 ==Production timeline==
 ===Announcement and development===
-*On '''September 27, [[2006]]''', ''Halo: Chronicles'' was announced alongside ''[[Halo Wars]]'' at [[Microsoft]]'s [[wikipedia:X (Xbox show)#X06|X06]] trade show in Barcelona, Spain.<ref name="Bungie"/>
+*In ''[[2005]]'', Peter Jackson first visits Bungie, marking the beginning of his collaboration with the studio.<ref name="vice"/>
+*On '''September 27, [[2006]]''', ''Halo: Chronicles'' was announced alongside ''[[Halo Wars]]'' at [[Microsoft]]'s [[wikipedia:X (Xbox show)#X06|X06]] trade show in Barcelona, Spain.<ref name="Bungie">[http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=13690 '''Bungie.net''': ''Bungie Weekly Update 4/25/08'']</ref>
 *On '''March 7, [[2007]]''', Microsoft executive Shane Kim revealed that ''"two episodic series... the first [of which] is in the Halo universe"'' were still in early design phases.<ref>[http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/07/peter-jackson-working-on-episodic-halo-content/ '''Joystiq:''' ''Peter Jackson working on episodic Halo content'']</ref><ref>[http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=13030 '''Gamasutra:''' ''GDC: Microsoft Talks Episodic Halo Xbox 360 Series'']</ref>
@@ Line 20: / Line 31: @@
 *On '''July 24, 2009''', the project was announced as cancelled, although Microsoft was ''"still looking into it"'' without the involvement of Jackson.<ref name="IGN1"/> Jackson later stated the project ''"...sort of collapsed when the movie didn't end up happening."''<ref>[http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/24/peter-jackson-halo-chronicles-no-longer-happening/ '''Joystiq:''' ''Peter Jackson: Halo Chronicles "no longer happening"'']</ref>
-*On '''July 28, 2009''', Microsoft stated ''"we’ve decided to put this joint effort on hold and prioritize resources against other projects like Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach and Halo Legends."''<ref>[http://www.videogamesblogger.com/2009/07/28/halo-chronicles-not-cancelled-but-on-hold-says-microsoft.htm '''Video Games Blogger:''' ''Halo Chronicles not cancelled but on-hold, says Microsoft'']</ref>
+*On '''July 28, 2009''', Microsoft stated ''"we’ve decided to put this joint effort on hold and prioritize resources against other projects like [[Halo 3: ODST]], [[Halo: Reach]] and [[Halo Legends]]."''<ref>[http://www.videogamesblogger.com/2009/07/28/halo-chronicles-not-cancelled-but-on-hold-says-microsoft.htm '''Video Games Blogger:''' ''Halo Chronicles not cancelled but on-hold, says Microsoft'']</ref>
-*As of '''2015''', WingNut Interactive has not published or produced any titles.
-==Trivia==
-*The game was stated to "''focus on the intimate, personal aspect of war...''"<ref>[http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=185177 '''CVG''': ''PREVIEWS: XBOX'']</ref>
-*While ''Chronicles'' was in development, a select team of [[Bungie]] employees - namely [[Joseph Staten]] and design director Mike Woo - was working in New Zealand with Jackson. When ''Chronicles'' was later cancelled, the team returned to Bungie to work on ''[[Halo 3: ODST]]'' instead.<ref>[http://www.kotaku.com.au/2009/09/how-and-why-halo-3-odst-was-made-in-14-months/ '''Kotaku''': ''How And Why Halo 3: ODST Was Made In 14 Months'']</ref>
 ==Sources==