How did Halo's famed protagonist -- the Master Chief -- become the mighty alien-fighting super soldier we know him to be?
The launch trailer for the highly anticipated "Halo 4" game -- revealed Thursday during "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" -- gives us a glimpse of the sci-fi warrior's painful past ... as well as a look at the new enemy he'll be facing in his next game: the Prometheans.
Produced by Academy Award-winning director David Fincher and directed by Tim Miller (the visual effects lead for the film "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World") the trailer mixes live action performances with computer generated imagery as it gives us glimpses of various points during the life of Master Chief.
This jarring journey from young boy to cybernetically-enhanced combat machine happens when a Promethean forcefully scans the Master Chief's mind looking for his weakness.
Microsoft revealed last week that it had brought on Hollywood heavy hitters Fincher -- known for helming films such as "The Social Network," "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and "Fight Club" -- and Miller to work with the game's developers at 343 Industries to create the two-minute trailer.
Below is the trailer that they created. It is called "Scanned."
"Halo 4" launches Nov. 6. For an in-depth look at the game -- and the Prometheans -- check out InGame editor Todd Kenreck's videos below.
Winda Benedetti writes about video games for NBC News. You can follow her tweets about games and other things on Twitter here @WindaBenedetti and you can follow her on Google+. Meanwhile, be sure to check out the IN-GAME FACEBOOK PAGE to discuss the day's gaming news and reviews.