For this preview, we turn to the latest drops of information to emerge from Bungie's collective orifice – a task that is actually far more pleasant than it sounds. Since we last checked in with the Halo Reach's Noble 6 team, more strings have been added to the title’s bow than will be found on Rock Band 4’s inevitable controller.

Where'd the colour go?

Besides its headline space combat addition, sweeping changes are on the way for Firefight mode – and that’s before the raft of new modes and maps that you’d have expected of a FPS sequel but a few short years ago. The life of a games developer: it isn’t a peaceful one.

For clarity’s sake we’ll address such labours in order. Firstly, zero gravity dogfighting. The latest action sequence offered up to the world sees quite the crescendo. Just as Bungie once thrilled gamers with the ability to unfetter combat, spreading it over a much larger area thanks to the inclusion of various vehicles, they look set to expand the fight further, escaping even planet Reach’s orbit itself. Fleeing from trouble below, we’ll see Spartans leap into Sabre rockets, taking off in a cloud of both exhaust and aggression.

Moments later we’ll join them, from a Star Fox-like perspective, as they battle opposition both nimble and lumbering through the nothingness of space. Each vessel will come equipped with both a standard cannon and missile stockpiles, which can then lock on to various poor unfortunates. As on the ground, each ship will have a health bar hidden behind the protection of its shield, but then, as it’s a known fact that all gamers double as interstellar spaceship pilots thanks to years of practice, you won’t be needing either of those too much, of course.

Grunts. What your mute button was made for

There’s no word yet on whether such sequences will feature in areas other than the specifically prescribed by the narrative, or indeed whether those 16 online players can feel the cold detachment of death at kilometre range via online play.

Firefight, however, will see the light of day in this arena, coming complete with the range of fine brush details you’d expect of one of gaming’s foremost online experiences. Like much of gaming nowadays, the buzzword is choice. Put simply, very little of any value will remain untouchable, short of your Spartan’s visor tint and whether he holds his pistols gangland style or execution style.

Bungie’s list of potentially tinkered variables drones into the distance like a Star Wars opening crawl. From more fundamental criteria such as enemy types, custom skulls and weaponry to more piddling concerns like potentially infinite match duration and what breast plate your chunk of muscle sports, barely a need is present that isn’t fully catered for.

The same can easily be said so far as gameplay modes are concerned too, with many set to debut. Unfortunately we’ve seen the details of only two: Rocketfight and Generator Defense. About as self-explanatory as they come, the former of these concentrates on getting players’ hands on many rockets and then fighting using them, while the latter involves protecting a generator from Covenant attack, and that. However straightforward, both add variety to the overall mix.

As do a fresh weapon or three. The Target Locator – boy do these things need more imaginative titles – locates a target then orders spaceships to fire from above, Hammer of Dawn-style. The Fuel Rod Gun, too, launches unstable, explosive fuel rods from its barrel, and the Concussion Rifle… well, you get the idea. Shields, be warned.

… continued