Halo 4 E3 2012 Stage Demo

The Halo 4 E3 2012 Stage Demo is a campaign demo of Halo 4 released during the Media Briefing in E3 2012. It is available on Halo Waypoint.

The demo opens with The Commissioning, a cinematic live-action trailer for Halo 4, and then seamlessly moves into an in-game sequence. The demo, which is a heavily modified version of the level Infinity, introduces the UNSC Infinity in the Halo 4 campaign, and the new enemy class of the Prometheans in gameplay.

Transcript

Live-action: A giant ship is hovering above a human city on Earth. Cuts to a crowd of UNSC servicemen standing in front of a UNSC government official. Behind the official stand six officers in full ceremonial dress, including Infinity's commanding officer, Captain Andrew Del Rio.

• Dignitary: "It's been four long years since the end of the war. And today we send forth a vessel designed for battle, but now re-purposed. For peace."

The Infinity's crew attends the ship's commissioning ceremony.

The scene switches to space, near the Forerunner shield world Requiem. The Infinity and an escort of Paris-class heavy frigates and Broadsword starfighters approaches the planet. Captain Del Rio stands at the view port on the bridge, watching the looming planet intently.

• Bridge Officer: "Captain!"

Del Rio walks toward the back of the bridge, to an officer rapidly tapping at the keyboard of a holotank displaying a schematic of the Infinity.

• Dignitary (voiceover): "Home to seventeen thousand of our best. Our brightest."

The hologram begins to flicker erratically. Del Rio looks at it, bemused. The stern of the holographic ship begins to flash red, and an exploded view of ship components moves forward. The scene switches back to Earth.

• Dignitary: "This - is the culmination of human achievement."

On board the Infinity, a woman is talking with her son over a video call. The screen becomes distorted and then ceases to function completely, displaying only the Didact's symbol as an orange glow begins to sweep through the ship. The glow moves through the entire ship, finally exiting the bridge. Power to all systems is lost. The opening on the planet's surface begins to glow a brilliant white, as Captain Del Rio turns to face it.

The Infinity's engines fail as the ship is pulled into the bowels of Requiem.

Cut to a brief shot of a young soldier's face at the ceremony, then back to the Infinity.

• Andrew Del Rio: "All engines! Reverse thrust!"

The ship is pulled inexorably toward Requiem. The effect is felt throughout the ship. Debris and people inside the ship are pulled toward the bow of the ship. A soldier's dog tags are pulled almost horizontally, completely countering gravity. A soldier runs down a corridor, fleeing an explosion. The ship lists dangerously, causing parked vehicles to crash into the walls of their hangar.

• Dignitary (voiceover): "For the first time in a generation..."

Two men fall down a depressurizing shaft, and are then launched the other way by an explosion. As crewmen are tossed about the bridge, the Didact's symbol can be seen on computer monitors in the background. The scene cuts briefly to Earth, before returning to the chaos aboard the Infinity.

• Dignitary (voiceover): "We commission a UNSC starship, meant not to wage war, but to peacefully advance the cause of mankind. Through the discovery of new worlds."

The Infinity plunges toward the planet, as its engines and electrical system begin to fail. Many crewmembers are shown screaming and covering their ears, as if trying to block out an unbearable noise.

• Andrew Del Rio (COM): "Mayday, mayday! This is the captain of the UNSC Infinity. Requesting immediate assistance..."

The Chief watches as the Infinity rapidly descends through Requiem's atmosphere.

In-game: Opens to MCPO John-117 on a mountain inside Requiem.

• Cortana: "Chief, there!"

The Master Chief looks up and sees the UNSC Infinity emerging from the clouds. Electric sparkles around the ship. The ship leaves the cloud layer and draws closer to him. The ship tumbles over him and past the mountain range.

• Andrew Del Rio (COM): "Mayday! Mayday! This is the captain of the UNSC Infinity. Unknown enemy has seized control of the ship - we're without power! We are on a collision course with an unidentified Forerunner planet..."

• John-117: "Track its descent."

• Cortana: "Marking. Impact predicted seventy-seven-point-eight kilometers due north."

The Chief watches as the Infinity descends. The air begins to waver and distort behind the Chief as a large object rises from beyond the cliff edge. The Chief turns back and unholsters his assault rifle in alarm. The object, a large sphere covered in patters of fissures casting off orange light, scans the mountain the Chief is on. The sphere then zooms away to the direction of the Infinity at supersonic speed.

• Cortana: "Know where he's heading..."

• John-117: "Same place we are."

John walks toward the camera. Fade to black.

Covenant forces converge on the Infinity's crash site.

Fade to John traversing a tropical jungle, eventually reaching a cliff edge overlooking a lush valley. Cuts to his heads-up display as John arms himself with the BR85 battle rifle. A swarm of Phantoms and Banshees are speeding toward the crashed Infinity. The Cryptum is silently hovering high above. A small screen displaying Cortana appears on the left upper corner of his HUD.

• Cortana (Video COM): "These Covenant aren't messing around. I'm detecting additional forces inbound."

• John-117: "Can you get us down to the ship?"

• Cortana: "Affirmative. Setting a waypoint for Infinity. Let's go."

John turns around and faces the jungle. After venturing deeper into the jungle, growling sounds are made from all directions around him.

• Cortana: "I don't think we are the only ones in here... Keep your eyes open."

John continues on and reaches an opening, which leads to a small clearing in the jungle.

• Cortana: "Scouts! Hold up!"

John zooms in with his battle rifle and observes a small Covenant lance, composed of one Sangheili, two Unggoy and a Kig-Yar. The Sangheili shoves one of the Unggoy out of its way. One of the Unggoy sees and points at John while shouting in its native language.

• Cortana: "They spotted us!"

The Chief quickly takes out the two Unggoy and the Kig-Yar. The Sangheili takes out his energy sword and charges at John, who continues to fire at the Sangheili. As the Sangheili approaches John, an orange beam fires at the Sangheili from its back. The Sangheili freezes in place as its body disintegrates to orange sparks. John reloads.

• John-117: "What was that?"

• Cortana: "Unknown..."

A lush jungle on Requiem.

More growling sounds are heard. John heads a few steps forward and looks at the direction the orange beam came from. On a tree bark, a small white sphere disappears. John moves on deeper into the jungle.

• Andrew Del Rio (COM): "All ground forces are ordered to return to Infinity immediately! Possible insertions on multiple levels!"

John stops at the base of a large tree. A Promethean Crawler is crawling on the tree, and makes a high-pitch screech as it spots John.

• Cortana: "Activity! All around us!"

More Crawlers arrive at the area, also making screeching sounds. The first Crawler jumps down from the tree.

• John-117: "Hostiles!"

The Crawler charges at John, and damages his shielding. John melees it, destroying the Crawler. Other Crawlers fire at him. After scoring a headshot on the second Crawler, John takes out his assault rifle and destroys the third Crawler. Another Crawler charges at him and deplete his shields. John melees it and turns to face the last two Crawlers. He fires and destroys the last two Crawlers. John reloads and continues on.

• Cortana: "These things are some type of defense AIs - definitely not Covenant! Stay sharp!"

A Crawler is standing on a tree bark and emits a screech. Several Crawlers run past John, who destroys the screeching one. He continues on, encountering more Crawlers.

• Cortana: "More of them!"

John destroys two Crawlers and the others flee.

• Cortana: "They're retreating?"

John sprints and follows the last Crawler.

John-117 defeats a Promethean Knight.

• Cortana: "Chief!"

John looks up and sees a Promethean Knight. The Knight knocks him on the floor and screams. Its face plate opens, revealing a screaming orange skull. John punches the face, and the Knight flinches. John kicks himself away from the Knight and stands up in a fighting stance. The Knight hits John with its bladed arm, depleting his energy shield in one hit. John stands back up as the Knight releases a Promethean Watcher from its back.

• Cortana: "Whatever it is, it's not organic!"

John fires at the Knight, who fires back along with its Watcher ally. The Watcher deploys a red beam on the Knight, which is now protected by a blue shield in front of it. After firing for a few seconds at the shield, the shield turns red, falters and breaks apart. The Knight steps back as John throws a plasma grenade at the duo. The Watcher fires a tracking beam at the grenade, and catches the grenade. After looping it a few times to gain momentum, it propels the grenade back at John.

• Cortana: "Watch out!"

John dodges the grenade, which explodes behind him. John continues to fire at the Knight, which eventually explodes. The Watcher flees.

• Cortana: "On the ground! It dropped something."

John approaches the wreckage and sees the Knight's weapon, labelled as the "lightrifle" by the waypoint on John's HUD. John trades his battle rifle for the Lightrifle. As he picks it up, the parts reassemble together to form a weapon.

• Cortana: "I recognize this design... It's Forerunner!"

Johns turns to his left and sees the Watcher. He fires the lightrifle at the Watcher, which flees deeper into the jungle.

• Cortana: "Chief! Don't let it get away!"

John sprints forward, following the trail. He finds the Watcher hovering, generating a field which spawns three Crawlers below it. They all fire at the Chief, who throws a frag grenade at them. The Watcher catches it again, but before it can throw the explosive back to John, the Spartan destroys it. The grenade falls between the three Crawlers, which are then eliminated in the ensuing explosion.

Johns turns right and engages two more Crawlers. Suddenly, another Knight, a Knight Lancer, materializes behind the two Crawlers. John destroys the Crawlers with ease, and continues to fire at the Lancer. The Lancer rapidly closes in on John with short-range teleports, and knocks him away. John returns fire, and the Lancer disappears into a small white sphere. The white sphere flies away from John, and it materializes back into the Lancer — Slipspace translocation. John zooms in with the lightrifle, and lands a final shot at the Lancer, which explodes.

John approaches the wreckage and finds another weapon, labelled as the "scattershot". The weapon self-assembles as John picked it up.

• Cortana: "Look out!"

John turns to his left and sees another Knight flying towards him. He fires the scattershot at the Knight, which disintegrates immediately.

John moves on. A screen displaying Captain Del Rio appears on his HUD.

• Andrew Del Rio (Video COM): "Mayday! Mayday! Code red! Hostile elements attempting to gain entrance to the Infinity bridge!"

The screen cuts off.

• John-117: "We need to move."

John sprints forward, and drops into a foggy landing in the jungle. Yet more growling sounds are heard.

• Cortana: "We're not alone. Switching visor mode."

John-117 activating Promethean vision, revealing nearby hostiles.

Promethean vision is activated on John's HUD. Crawlers are shown as red figures crawling on trees. John looks at one of them as it crawls across a tree branch.

• UNSC serviceman (COM): "Oh God! What are those things?! Immediate assistance!"

More growling sounds are heard, and a large amount of Knights materialize near John.

• UNSC serviceman (COM): "All units! Please respond-"

One of the Knights, a Knight Battlewagon, approaches and knocks John away, deactivating John's Promethean vision.

• UNSC serviceman (COM): "They're everywhere!"

The Knight Battlewagon approaches and strikes John. Cuts to black.

Cuts to a floating structure on Requiem. Fades to black.

Cuts to a pair of Banshee flying around a Covenant structure. Fades to black.

Cuts to a rocky terrain on Requiem. Fades to black.

Cuts to John's HUD, face-to-face with a Sangheili who is holding an energy sword. John punches the Sangheili, staggering him. Cuts to black.

John-117 hibernating in a cryo-chamber.

Cuts to Cortana materializing on a holotank.

• Cortana (voiceover): "I was put into service eight years ago..."

Cortana looks around the interior of the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn, confused.

• Cortana (voiceover): "AIs deteriorate after seven."

Cuts to John-117 inside his cryo chamber. The frost covering its glass surface is melting. Fades to black.

Cuts to John in a dark environment, with several UNSC soldiers behind him.

Cuts to Infinity's interior with a Mongoose and a Mantis turning on a pedestal. Fades to black.

Cuts to a large group of blue-tinted Promethean Knights, Crawlers, and a Watcher in combat. One of them jumps up and gets ready for a strike.

Cuts to a Warthog driving out of a giant UNSC ground vehicle.

John-117 standing inside a dropship bay, alongside fellow UNSC troops.

• Cortana (voiceover): "I will not..."

Cuts to an environment tinted with orange light. A Promethean Knight picks up a Sangheili and throws it on the ground.

• Cortana (voiceover): "...allow you to leave...

Cuts to John-117 with a sniper rifle in front of a bright background. A part of the Infinity can be seen behind him. Fades to black.

• Cortana (voiceover): "..this..."

Cuts to John driving a Ghost down a canyon. A Phantom crashes in front of him.

Cuts to Cortana in Infinity's bridge. Cortana shouts angrily.

• Cortana: "...planet!"

Cuts to black.'

Cuts to John-117 lying on the ground, tightening his fist. Cuts to black.

Didact's unbound icon is shown, glowing orange and slowly spinning.

AN ANCIENT EVIL AWAKENS

• The Didact: "I have long dreamt of this day, Reclaimer."

The icon pulses with bright orange light. Cuts to black.

HALO 4
11.06.12

Differences with final build

• The player could carry a maximum of four grenades of each type, instead of the final game's two.
• The Armor Ability icon for Promethean vision is an eye over a regular hexagon, while in the final build the icon is an outline of the MJOLNIR Recruit armor's helmet.
• Frag grenades did not explode or do any damage of any kind.
• Ambient wildlife existed and could be seen in the background.
• The player was made invincible in order to avoid an accidental death during the demo.