Having been involved with the franchise since 2001, I wholeheartedly believe that this game is the best Halo yet.
Only now, however, did I feel more personally connected to the game, specifically in the relationship between John and Cortana. With the threat of rampancy lingering over her, the bond between Cortana and the Masterchief is tested, in which their dependency for each other is what keeps them sane. I'll not spoil the story in this review, but I felt that 343 Industries did a magnificent job on developing and expanding this relationship in a way it hadn't been done before. Clever, intelligent writing is hard to come by in a shooter these days, and I am glad that the team was able to pick up the mantle to do so. The campaign was memorable, emotional, and exciting from start to finish, yet it leaves you wanting for the next campaign in Halo 5 already.
I feel that the multiplayer is taking a turn in the positive direction, creating a more personalized experience for players. While this is a big change from Halo 3 (when all players were provided with the same loadout unless in custom games) and Halo: Reach (when there were several loadouts available, but not customizable), I feel that it can work well. There is still a purchase system towards certain abilities and "perks" that make the game more interesting, although I do feel that these will be taken advantage of as they are in the COD games; sooner or later, the "perfect loadouts" will be crafted, although I sincerely hope that the armor abilities help to balance this out (i.e. some people might choose a defensive class, others more support or offense). While not incredibly new, one can only do so much with a shooter to make it seem different. In adding these new abilities and loadout systems, I do feel that it will encourage players to continue to play. Some maps are unbalanced in their asymmetry, but otherwise I am impressed with the multiplayer as well.
Spartan Ops is the replacement for Firefight, it seems. While there is only one episode available (with five chapters) so far, I have enjoyed playing the levels. The Ops missions are not particularly challenging, but they are fun to do, almost as a second campaign. I look forward to what they will release next, and as the Ops missions will be released free of charge, all the better.
There are moments in which the A.I. of the game can be faulty (crawlers can stop moving/shooting at times, the inevitable "marine driver" syndrome), but as a whole I am quite pleased with the game. As a gamer who is not always one to listen to the hype, I am happy to say that this game has done so, and in a wonderfully refreshing way. I expect great things from 343 in the future, and I highly recommend this game to anyone who enjoys the Halo franchise, sci-fi shooters, and/or an appreciation for a game with both a great story and great multiplayer.