The first day of the MLG Dallas 2012 Fall Championships brings back a familiar friend to the circuit as Halo 4 makes it second tournament appearance before the official launch of the game. Among the players you will see this weekend are some of the pros you know and love including the 2009 Trigger’s Down and Str8 Rippin teams, and there will undoubtedly be new stars that will be able to highlight their Halo 4 talent during this weekend. There are over 200 teams registered for the event, and there will be no lack of Halo 4 goodness on the stream, proven by Snip3down’s Overkill Extermination from last night.

Fridays are typically lined up for players to have a look around the venue and participate in pool play to be seated in the bracket, but yesterday, the atmosphere had a different flavor. Many teams were playing the game for the first time, while others have had countless hours already with the game and were just familiarizing themselves with the MLG specific gametypes. Most importantly, it seems that everyone is having fun! If you’ve ever attended an MLG event, you know how serious and full of energy the Halo arena can be, but this new energy was a delight to see and is very hopeful for Halo 4 in the competitive arena. I can’t count how many times I saw Bravo get all hyped about plays on stream and to see how animated he can get while commentating. For those watching the stream, be proud!

Yesterdays lineup of activities also inspired some of the fun aspect of the night with the start of Fiesta FFA, where Ninja took it to town with the Sniper Rifle and Incineration Cannon. The night continued with some FFA gameplay from some past FFA champions showing off the new Infinity Slayer where you receive ordinance based on your earned medals in game. The throwback match between 2009 Str8 Rippin and Triggers Down was not as close as you would imagine back in the day, but it was fun to watch, especially since MLG Dallas 2009 was my first event I attended.

Lead Multiplayer Designer, Kevin Franklin rocked the booth while they showed off some of the other gametypes Halo 4 has to offer including Flood Mode and Regicide. A blessing to competitive fans, he also announced the return of a skill-based ranking system to be introduced into Halo 4 sometime early next year.

Make sure you check out the stream schedule and the gametypes and settings that will be used this weekend. Tournament play starts today with a total of 14 rounds of play, double elimination. Gametypes will be variants of Infinity Slayer and Capture the Flag played on Abandon, Adrift, Haven, Relay and Solace. Make sure you follow us on twitter for the latest updates from the floor as well as @MLG, @BravoMLG, @u4ixxx and @MLGPuckett.