Microsoft and 343 Industries announced Halo Infinite, the next entry in Microsoft’s flagship first-person shooter series, at E3 in June, but who knows when the game will be released. If you want to jump back into the science-fiction universe now, bring some coins and an appetite — Halo: Fireteam Raven is coming to Dave & Buster’s this summer.
Halo: Fireteam Raven is a four-player cooperative shooter that puts you in control of the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers known as Fireteam Raven. They’re on the same Halo ring as Master Chief during the events of the original 2001 game, and in addition to fighting the Covenant’s troops and vehicles, you’ll also run into the undead Flood creatures.
The game takes place inside a machine equipped with four machine gun turrets and a 130-inch 4K display, with your characters’ health and total kill-count visible at the top. As you can see in the announcement trailer, the game nails the look of the main console games, with impressive fidelity and all the special effects you expect from Halo. The sound is also spot-on, as you can hear from the Grunts’ screams.
Halo: Fireteam Raven is primarily developed by Raw Thrills and Play Mechanix “in a unique partnership with 343 Industries,” according to the official announcement. Raw Thrills is led by Eugene Jarvis, the legendary shoot-’em-up designer responsible for games like Robotron 2084 and Smash TV. Most recently, he consulted with Housemarque during the development of the excellent Nex Machina. It was the last arcade-style game from the studio before it pivoted to other genres, citing lack of profitability.
“Arcade games are a wholly different challenge compared to console and PC gaming, and we’ve learned a tremendous amount as we worked with Raw Thrills to make this happen,” said 343 head of Halo transmedia Kiki Wolfkill.
Jarvis appears confident in the final product as well, calling it “the most spectacular arcade experience [Raw Thrills has] ever made.”
Initially, Halo: Fireteam Raven will be available only at Dave & Buster’s in the United States and Canada, but 343 Industries has plans to expand it to other locations. Hopefully we’ll see a port for the Xbox One at some point, as it appears to be worthy of the Halo name.
