Master Chief and Cortana opened Microsoft's E3 presentation this year, with the first gameplay footage from 343 Industries' forthcoming Halo 4, and we got to see more behind closed doors. Halo 4, then, adorns the cover of issue 243 and constitutes our lead preview. We speak to development director Frank O' Connor and Microsoft IEB corporate vice president Phil Harrison about the game, and there's also a design showcase in which we take a close look at how 343 is introducing a new visual signature to the series.
Sticking, for a moment, with E3, we open the issue by picking through the bombast, bluster and braggadocio from this year's expo. We also report back from Nordic Game in Sweden, preview this year's Develop conference and pay tribute to the winners, runners-up and honourable mentions of the Edge Create Challenge.
Elsewhere in the issue we speak to game designer Peter Molyneux about the amazing vision behind his new venture into psychology with 22Cans and, sticking with the functions of the human mind, continue our The Psychology Of series by examining what lies behind our need to stand at the top of the high score table.
We consider what it is about New York City that makes it such a popular choice for setting games in and explore another iconic skyline with the help of Batman's cape. In this month's Studio Profile we visit Playground Games to discover how it landed the next Forza as its debut and revisit Super Mario 3D Land in our regular Making Of series.
Finally, the role of the Renaissance and desks are examined in our Deus Ex: Human Revolution art showcase and Japanese crime journalist Jake Adelstein tells about his favourite game.
The usual raft of previews and reviews are present and correct, of course, including Pikmin 3, Watch Dogs, Resident Evil 6, Lolipop Chainsaw and Steel Batalion: Heavy Armor.