Halo Infinite’s New Firefight Maps Ignite Calls for Spartan Ops Revival in Halo 7!

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In the latest multiplayer operation of Halo Infinite, named Operation: Last Stand, players can join a new multiplayer playlist titled Firefight: Battle of the Academy. This appears to be a continuation of the multiplayer storyline presented through cutscenes in Halo Infinite, from its launch up to Season 3: Echoes Within. The Battle of the Academy within Halo Infinite includes two Linear Firefight maps, Cole Protocol and Out With a Bang, where players work together to eliminate Banished forces who have been called to invade the Avery J. Johnson Academy of Military Science by the AI, Iratus. With the positive reception towards the dynamic environmental storytelling and Linear Firefight maps in Battle of the Academy, Halo Studios could revive a forgotten game mode from Halo 4: Spartan Ops.

Halo 4’s Spartan Ops Explained

343 Industries initially planned to revive the Firefight mode in Halo 4, adding new side objectives beyond the wave defense gameplay seen in Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach. However, as they aimed to blend Halo 4’s multiplayer with its in-game lore, the developers decided to transform this version of Firefight into a narrative that aligned with Halo 4’s campaign. This change led to the creation of Spartan Ops, a game mode players could enjoy at the launch of Halo 4 in late 2012. Spartan Ops was presented through episodes, each containing five missions that could be completed individually or cooperatively by up to four players in a Spartan-4 Fireteam.

In gameplay, Spartan Ops encourages players to frequently eradicate Covenant leftovers and Forerunner Prometheans, either on foot or by using vehicles. Occasionally, players will encounter small puzzles or need to interact with technology to advance in the mission. Although the story of Spartan Ops is part of the canon, players can customize their Spartans and see them decked out in personalized armor. As for the setting, all of Spartan Ops unfolds either on the various terrains of the Forerunner Shield World 0001 (Requiem), or within the UNSC vessel, Infinity. Many missions recycle campaign environments and multiplayer maps.

The Story of Halo 4’s Spartan Ops

Spartan Ops unfolds six months following the end of Halo 4’s campaign, in early 2558. This is when the UNSC Infinity heads back to the Shield World, Requiem, for research and to wipe out any remaining Covenant and Promethean forces under Jul ‘Mdama’s command, who are associated with the Didact’s Hand. While the storyline in Spartan Ops focuses on Fireteam Majestic and Spartan-4 Commander Sarah Palmer, players actually control members of Fireteam Crimson. These troops often help Majestic and Palmer achieve their objectives from a distance.

At some point, Doctor Catherine Halsey, the ex-head of the Spartan-2 program, is summoned to study Requiem’s artifacts. Unfortunately, this research leads to an unexpected partnership between Halsey and ‘Mdama as they seek the Absolute Record containing all Forerunner technology. This alliance ultimately results in Requiem plunging into a nearby star.

The ten episodes of Spartan Ops from Halo 4 are no longer playable on the Xbox 360 version of the game. However, the whole Spartan Ops experience is still available to play within Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

The Potential of a Spartan Ops Successor in Halo 7

In Halo 4, only one season of the multi-season storyline for Spartan Ops was released. This story continued in the comics Halo: Escalation and Halo 5: Guardians’ main campaign. However, due to the divided response to the Spartan Ops game mode, particularly when compared to Firefight which was more popular among fans, Spartan Ops did not return in any subsequent Halo titles. Firefight, on the other hand, resurfaced in Guardians as Warzone Firefight and took a different form in Halo Infinite. Neither of these modes resemble the classic Firefight featured in ODST or Reach. Despite the initial success of Spartan Ops, there’s still room for a PVE mode with narrative focus similar to Linear Firefight to emerge in Halo 7.

In Halo 7, there’s a possibility that players might encounter both developer-created and fan-made Firefight maps. However, during each new Operation or Season, the game could introduce a map or playlist centered around a short story set within the Halo universe. These stories would be presented as cutscenes, not necessarily connected like Spartan Ops or the initial multiplayer cutscenes in Halo Infinite. Instead, they’d offer standalone tales similar to those found in the Halo Waypoint Chronicles, such as Halo: The Third Life.

For instance, Halo 7 might feature a narrative event where players engage with super-soldiers called Janissaries on a Banished ship following their failed invasion of Earth. These narrative-focused Spartan Ops-like maps and events could maintain the interest of lore enthusiasts while allowing traditional Firefight scenarios to be replayed using these maps.

Originally planned for the cast of Halo 5: Guardians, Spartan Ops’ Gabriel Thorne was intended to be part of Fireteam Osiris. However, due to scheduling issues with Ethan Gregory Peck, who plays Thorne, his role was ultimately taken over by the former ODST, Edward Buck.

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2025-05-15 03:34