Halo 4 Review
Game Emblems
The Good
Recycled graphics from previous Halo's, lack of new Idea's, storyline is very dull and hard to follow. 343 Fails.
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A thrilling, moving story and intense competitive multiplayer help Halo 4 continue the series' reign as one of the premier shooter franchises.
You can also flex your cooperative muscle in a new mode called Spartan Ops. Planned as a regular series, each free, downloadable episode of Spartan Ops comes with a CG-animated short depicting life among the Spartans, as well as a number of brief playable combat scenarios. The first video features a lively cast and some enjoyably dramatic scenes, with animation quality comparable to the cutscenes from the campaign. Though the commanding officer from the video lends some voice-over supervision to the individual scenarios, the missions themselves feel fragmented and disconnected from each other. Though they can be played solo or with up to three others, these skirmishes are over in a matter of minutes, and this brevity makes them feel inconsequential and unsatisfying. Still, it's a flexible and novel way to deliver fresh postrelease content, and it will be interesting to see how the Spartan Ops story builds in the coming weeks and months.
Back on more familiar ground, War Games is the new name for the vaunted competitive multiplayer action that has been a genre standout for more than a decade. The classic deathmatch and objective-based game types return in free-for-all and team varieties, with only a few tweaks and additions. Infection has been renamed Flood, casting the "zombie" characters as Flood-mutated humans with super speed and a giant spike arm that behaves like an energy sword. Regicide is a new free-for-all game type that puts a bounty on the player with the highest score and occasionally grants him or her an overshield or other perk for remaining on top. Invasion is gone, and in its place is Dominion, a team contest focused on capturing and maintaining control of three bases. Bonuses for holding them include spawnable vehicles, automatic turrets, and weapon drops, making for some feisty back-and-forth struggles.
(An important logistical note: To play these modes, you need 2GB of storage space to install War Games, and 1.5GB per episode of Spartan Ops. It's unclear how much space Spartan Ops will demand in the future, but suffice it to say, a memory card won't cut it.)
Halo's competitive multiplayer modes have always dictated the weapons available to players in a given match, creating a level playing field from the get-go. But now, in a move reflective of modern shooter trends, Halo 4 introduces loadouts. These consist of familiar categories like primary and secondary weapons, grenades, and armor abilities, as well as two new attributes that grant small bonuses, like quicker weapon switching, bigger grenade explosions, and broader motion sensor range. You unlock extra loadout slots and the ability to equip these bonuses as you level up, and you must also pay to unlock individual loadout items with points you earn with each rank. It can feel a bit limiting at first, but regardless of your rank, there are always a few fully stocked predetermined loadouts to choose from, so you're never at a disadvantage for being low-level.
Not knowing the map is also less of a disadvantage now, because weapons spawned on the battlefield are clearly marked. Furthermore, players who do well can call in their own ordnance drop mid-match. Familiar weapons like needlers, shotguns, and swords are accessible only through such drops, as are new entries like an explosive railgun and a light machine gun. There are even boosts to shields, movement speed, and damage output. Picking one of the three random options in your personal ordnance reward is an interesting strategic decision that affects how you proceed and adds another defensive consideration for your opponents.
New abilities can help you deal with these variables; Promethean Vision lets you see your enemies' silhouettes and identify which weapons they're holding, while a hardlight shield can save you from an imminent explosion. The online battlefields of Halo 4 are more varied than their predecessors, but none of the changes or additions are powerful enough to destabilize the core balance. This plays like a richer version of the competitive Halo that many have come to love over the years, and the new tweaks add a welcome freshness to the action.
If you want to avoid or embrace any given element, you can always fire up a Custom Game and tinker with the battlefield conditions to your heart's content. Options are as robust as ever and are exponentially expandable once you dip into the still-incredibly-powerful Forge level editor. Though it can be daunting, some changes to Forge have made placing objects easier and the whole experience generally more user-friendly. Play around with friends, tweak existing levels to your liking, craft something using the new tools, or simply download the fruits of other people's labor--Forge remains an impressive platform for creative play and thoughtful design.
Halo 4 is every bit the massive shooter package that its predecessors were, and it holds the series' standard high. The thrilling and emotional return of Master Chief and Cortana is the highlight, and the campaign breaks new ground in narrative quality for the franchise. The top-notch competitive multiplayer picks up where Halo: Reach left off, infusing the action with some mainstream elements while still remaining undeniably unique. Spartan Ops may stay a mere sideshow or prove its worth in the weeks to come, but there's no doubting that the next planned Halo trilogy is off to a great start. 343 Industries should be proud of what it has accomplished, and you should be excited to experience it for yourself.
By
Chris Watters, Editor
With his Apple IIGS as the spark and his neighbor's NES the fuel, Chris Watters' passion for gaming caught fire early. Years later, you can find him aiming down virtual sights, traipsing through fantastical lands, and striving to be grossly incandescent while desperately avoiding sunburns.
1042 comments
i played the previous one,it was absolutely ridiculous so i'm not gonna pay for this.and of course it doesnt deserve 9
i have decided to not read comments about games i love to play, as the comments are just filled with haters who MOSTLY have not even played the game. shame on you. its too bad the console war crap is probably going to increase come next gen...
@youcouldbeblind well if all the Microsoft b.s. is true and Sony does the same thing too then its steambox or pc for me i guess
Alas,the bane of the modern FPS is the short campaign.Apart from Far Cry 3,granted the story is shortish,but outposts,hunting,etc,gave it some meat.May get Halo 4,the campaign can't be any worse than COD blops 2 can it? That sucked more than a toothless ho!
This is one great game period. If you own an Xbox this is one game that's a must have in your library. But view the credits to catch Master Chief's lasts comments you will not be disappointed.
I need players to go through the campaign and spartan ops with.
Both on legendary. Interested?
Gamer tag is OG ZombieInk.
Xbox all the way!!!
The real attraction for most Halo fanatics is the story. And while it may seem generic, that is truly only surface deep. Unfortunately, 343 thought it was a good idea to explain the story in the ACTUAL detail required through hidden terminals. This rendered the story fairly generic and generally incomprehensible. Dig deeper, go to Halopedia.org, and you'll see just how complex the Halo universe really is.
Loved it. The only thing I dont like, is the opening screen theme. They should of kept the original.
Okay so this is my first halo game, nice visuals, has a feel of grandeur about it, one thing I loved is that the campaign seems more difficult on normal setting than other FPS.
ehhh... I have to say 343 definitely seem to have a different approach to graphics, in places it is quite lazy. I noticed this with combat evolved anniversary and the later halo: reach map packs they did. They went all mass effect 3 with the lens flares which at times is annoying and pointless.
The story didn't really engage me as the previous ones have, just a whole lot of running around familiar-looking shiny buildings pressing buttons and whizzing through portals. Don't get me wrong, all halo games have a very linear story-line but it just felt really forced in this one. I felt like meeting a foreunner was actually pretty anti-climatic. generic bad guy motives and voice... who obviously will return for the next couple of games. Aaaaaaand *spoiler* since cortana is dead I am seriously concerned about how she will be replaced. They've been a duo since the beginning, and I wonder if 343 will pull an old deus ex machina and produce some sort of excuse as to how she can be revived.
And no theatre mode for campaign?? that's just shit. really, really, shit. Taking a step backwards there. And why have we not got a forge world equivalent? And why does forge insist on updating the lighting each time you switch from mode to mode, instead of after each round? even though it only takes a few seconds it gets annoying really quickly.
Spartan ops is just a bit silly really. I mean, at least with firefight, they don't try and glorify it with some sort of storyline, it's just waves of enemies for no reason and it's fun. I don't really give a shit about these generic military characters, I mean if you actually listen to the reasons they give for re-visiting each map area again and again, it's completely nonsensical. I like the idea of a secondary storyline, and the CGI clips you unlock look fantastic, but it is not needed to justify recycling campaign maps.
I think that is everything I want to rant about. On a smaller side note, I do not like the main menu. I know. but I am really anal about these things and it bugged the crap out of me seeing them use a white flash when you exit infinity. Laaazzzyyyyyyy. I think halo: reach got it right with the 2.5D matte paintings. and the buttons are just bulky. I'm sorry but you can tell it's not bungie because they would be more tasteful than that.
/RANT
I dont really see the difference between Halo 3, Halo:Reach and Halo 4. Beside some graphic changes and cortana looking differente in each game. I like Halo 4, but come on ppl, stop saying its the best thing ever or the worst thing ever. Ust enjoy it or dont play it.
I am looking for people to play halo 4 with (war games), if you're interested add me, GT = WAR ISTHEAN5W3R
I'm new to console gaming add me Thrash Emperor for XboxLive and Thrash_Emperor for the PSN.
1 Like Great game, took the best parts of the previous Halo games and sped it up just enough to make it more fun.
1 Like 343 Studios outdid Bungie with this new chapter in the Halo saga as it is easily the best of the best in the series - looking forward to the next chapter in the Halo universe now :)
1 Like The only thing gearing me towards an xbox, god damnit if only I could get this game.
1 Like This game is very beautiful if you never seen Skyrim, Battlefield 3 or Far Cry 3. It has a great multiplayer if you have never played Battlefield 3, Unreal Tournament or Planetside.The story in Halo 4 is just amazing.... If you never saw a game with a story before, and I am not even talking about Pathologic or Bioshock. It has a great music indeed... Unfortunately not in a world where there are McGee's Alice, Populous 3 and Dawn of War. So, you see, Halo 4 is a very very good game! Not its fault that all other games are just better! LOL
Sure, you beat the game on Legendary difficulty to get almost a whole entire second of footage of something that we already knew. Then it's all cheers and w00ts. But you do three times the amount of work in Mass Effect 3 for a huge reveal that is supposed to give you the emotional satisfaction that you triumphed over all odds and survived, but all of a sudden it's all like *BOO* *HISS* "THE ENDING TO ME3 SUCKED BAWLZ BIOWARE CHANGE IT"
4 Like I got this game from a friend to day, and I going to have a go at it... and probably that is the only way I ever going to play this game.... for FREE..
I mean... come on.. who wants to pay the full price for JUST about 6 hours of game play, that resembles all the other Halo games ?
3 Like here is my review. ok, your a space marine. there are aliens that you have to kill. some little funny ones and some big ones. you have a rifle and a handgun and sometimes u can get a sniper rifle and a rocket launcher type gun. bad stuff happens and you save the world at the end.
this review is good for all the halo games. im kinda talking trash but honestly ive bought and played all the halo games and while I enjoy them it just makes me think people haven't had a chance to try some of the better games out there. to each their own I guess.
@fa11en1134 I'm inclined to agree with you. My problem with Microsoft is that they just aren't being very original with new IPs. They're mostly relying on refining the same franchises including Halo, Gears of War and Call of Duty rather than make new ones like Sony is doing or adding many new things to their treasured game series like Nintendo has done over the years. Maybe that will change in the next Xbox (if it's announced this year of course!)
@fa11en1134 Actually, the game where you really 'are a space marine' (ironically called 'Space Marine') has a much more satisfying melee, shooting and hit registration, and better graphics and level design, and still considered to be a failed game. What to say about Halo then?....
1 Like I bought the Halo 4 Xbox 360 package, I don't play that many console games. I played Halo 1 & 2 on the original Xbox, hadn't played any since then. Figured I'd break down and buy a 360, now that there's tons of games available. Halo 4 was a lot of fun, had a few frustrating moments, but that's with any game. I will definitely play the next game in the series (plus go back and play Halo 3).
Usually, I'm not interested by any type of shooter game on the market, but the recent Halo 4 has my interest peaked. I'm not a regular FPS person at all (I'm more of an action-y, JRPG Final Fantasy fan) but I'm wondering if I should delve into the series or not...as a question directed to the fanbase of Halo, what is the appeal of this game? I've heard great things about its soundtrack and story, which are two things I value in my games, but what about the gameplay itself? For an FF fan like me, I'm not too eagar to play anything that had me mashing buttons in intense combat. Unless it's Bayonetta, of course xD
@Bayonetta2013 It all depends if you're willing to plunge into a deep sci-fi universe. It's already a well developed series with a fantastic story, but if you aren't interested in the fps gameplay then don't bother with halo 4.
1 Like @Bayonetta2013 Well, ma'friend, HALO: Combat Involved was the greatest HALO ever. But, anyways, this one deserves a place in the hall of fame.
3 Like Here are my thoughts on 'Spartan Ops'.
343 follows the rule golden rule: "If it ain't broke don't fix it" very well, they just forgot about "If it ain't broke, don't ditch it!" Firefight is completely gone. Campaign scoring also missing. Firefight is replaced with Spartan Ops. Which on paper is great idea. Having new missions unlocked each week gives players something new to comeback too. I wanted to love Spartan Ops, but again they 'ditched' a few key ingredients that would have made it amazing and additive. There is no scoring and there are no limited lives either. In fact if you die, you just span right near where you died. No consequence for dying, which removes all thrill of succeeding. I loved being down to my last life on Firefight and working battle and sneaking by on skin of my teeth to the next wave. My solution would have been simple, add the option of limited lives and double players experience points for passing the level and increase that number for the higher difficulty settings.
What do other people think?
1 Like @chris_watters Hi. The way you describe Halo 4's single player, all apart from the story, makes me think of the original Unreal. That is not a bad thing in any way, in fact, its lacking in modern FPSs imo. How would you match them up?
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Halo 4
Not Following
- Publisher(s): Microsoft Game Studios
- Developer(s): 343 Industries
- Genre: Action
- Release:
- ESRB: M
Halo 4 Navigation
