Halo 4 E3 2012 Stage Demo

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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 beginning section contains parts from The Commissioning, Halo 4's cinematic trailer.

Transcript

A giant ship is hovering above a human city on Earth. Cuts to a crowd of UNSC servicemen in full ceremonial dress standing in front of a man on a podium.

• Dignitary: "It's been four years since the end of the war, and today we sent forth..."

Cuts to the UNSC Infinity hovering above the city.

• Dignitary: "...a vessel designed for battle, but now repurposed for peace."

Cuts to a crowd of civilians in the city. Scene cuts to the UNSC Infinity in space, accompanied by two UNSC frigates. In the bridge, Captain Andrew Del Rio is looking at a planetoid, Requiem.

• Crewman: "Captain!"

Del Rio looks back and walks to a holotable in the middle of the bridge. A crewman is managing the control panel next to it.

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

The hologram of UNSC Infinity is present. The structures in the back of ship glow red, and an exploded view of ship components moves forward.

Cuts to a flashback in the city, where the UNSC Infinity is hovering above it.

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

Cuts back to present. A woman onboard the UNSC Infinity is in a video call with a boy. The screen becomes distorted and cuts to static. A large orange glow sweep through her room as a the Didact icon appears on her video screen. Cuts to other parts of the ship, following the orange glow. All electronic devices disable as the orange glow sweep past it. Ship personnels look around them. The orange glow sweep past the bridge and Captain Del Rio, and to the opening on Requiem. Del Rio looks to the opening which is giving off a blind light. The ship is heading straight into the opening.

• Captain Andrew Del Rio: "All engines, reverse thrust!"

Cuts to the exterior of the UNSC Infinity, which is being pulled into the opening. Cuts to the interior of the ship, where every object is under the gravitational effect. An UNSC serviceman's dog tags are pulled almost horizontally. Cuts to another UNSC servicewoman running in a corridor with an explosion behind her.

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

Cuts to a hangar in the tilted ship, equipments and vehicles are sliding on the floor. Two large vehicles collide on the wall. Cuts to two crewman falling into an explosion, screaming. The explosion propelled them away.

• Dignitary: (voiceover) "...we commission a UNSC ship starship meant not to wage war..."

Cuts to the bridge. All bridge personnel are on the floor, some grabbing the railings, struggling from the pull.

• Dignitary: (voiceover) "But to the peacefully advance the cause of mankind..."

Cuts to an window on the Infinity. A serviceman looks out the Infinity and screams.

• Dignitary: (voiceover) "...through the discovery of new worlds."

Scene zooms out from the window to the entire ship, now entering the opening. The Infinity's engine falters.

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

The ship's light flicker on and off around the crew, who are shown to be terrified, some even screaming. Cuts to black.

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 ranges.

• 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 collision course with unidentified Forerunner planet..."

• Master Chief Petty Officer John-117: "Track its descent."

• Cortana: "Marking. Impact predicted seventy-seven-point-eight kilometers to North."

The Chief watches the Infinity descending. A large invisible figure rises from the Chief's back. The Chief turns back and holds up his Assault rifle in alarm. The figure turns visible, revealing it to be a large sphere with orange patterns on its bottom. It gives off orange glow, scanning the mountain the Chief is on. It zooms away, to the direction of the Infinity.

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

• John-117: "Same place we are."

John walks closers and covers the view. Cuts to black.

Fades to John traversing in a jungle, eventually reach a cliff edge. Cuts to his Heads-up display as John arms himself with the BR85 Battle Rifle. A large amount of Phantoms and Banshees are flying over the crashed Infinity. The Cryptum is hovering high above the sky. A small screen displaying Cortana appears on the left upper corner of his HUD.

• Cortana: "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 a small opening, which leads to small clearing in the jungle.

• Cortana: "Scouts! Hold up!"

John zooms in to the clear area 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.

• Unggoy #1: "It's the Demon!"

• Cortana: "We're spotted!"

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's that?!"

• Cortana: "Unknown..."

Another growling sound is 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.

• Del Rio (COM): "All ground forces are ordered to return to Infinty immediately! Possible insertions from 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: "Hostile!"

The Crawler charges at John, and damages his energy shielding. John melees it and it breaks apart. Other Crawlers fire at him. After taking a headshot on the second Crawler, John takes out his Assault rifle and destroys the third Crawler. Another Crawler charges at him and broke his energy shielding. 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 kind 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.

• 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 red 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 knocks John a few feet away from it, dropping John's energy shield from full to none. 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 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 Assault 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, which emits a sound. 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, with 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, and 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 materialize behind the two Crawlers. John destroys the Crawlers with ease, and continue to fire at the Knight. The Knight approaches John in an inconceivable speed, and knocks him away. John returns fire, and the Knight disappear into a small white sphere. The white sphere flies away from John, and it turns back to the Knight. John zooms in with the Lightrifle, and lands a final shot at the Knight, which explodes.

John approaches the wreckage and finds another weapon, labelled as "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 is destroyed immediately.

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

• Del Rio (Video COM): "Mayday! Mayday! Code red! Hostiles elements attempted 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. More growling sounds are heard.

• Cortana: "We're not alone. Switching VISR."

VISR mode activates on John's HUD. Crawlers are shown as red figures crawling on trees. John follows one of them 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 Knight approaches and knocks John away.

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

The Knight 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. Cuts to black.

Cuts to Cortana appearing on a holotank.

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

Cuts to Cortana looking around the interior of the Template:UNSCship, confused.

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

Cuts to John-117 inside his Cryo chamber. The ice on it is melting. Fades to black.

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

Cuts to an unknown machine. Fades to black.

Cuts to a large group of Promethean Knights and Crawlers 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.

• 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. 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 a building of unknown origin. Cortana shouts angrily.

• Cortana: "...planet!"

Cuts to black.'

Cuts to a Spartan, on the ground, tightening their fist. Cuts to black.

Cuts to the red Didact icon spinning.

AN ANCIENT EVIL AWAKENS

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

The icon gives off bright red light. Cuts to black.

HALO 4
11.06.12