343 Industries show they are more than capable of being the custodians of Master Chief, despite some story mis-steps
Halo 4 didn't disappoint. Set four years after the events of Halo 3, it opens to find Master Chief and Cortana floating in space in the remains of the frigate Forward Unto Dawn. A couple of explosions later and Chief is awake, Cortana is back in his head and Covenant are being killed with ease. The new custodians of the franchise, 343 industries, have done what many believed impossible and made a game that feels almost exactly like Halo, but at the same time have put their stamp on one of gaming's biggest series.
That stamp comes through most notably in the graphics, because Halo 4 is absolutely gorgeous. All of the style of the original trilogy is here, so Elites, Grunts, UNSC soldiers have the same basic look as before, but now the detail has been ramped up. The cannon fodder of the Covenant army, the Grunts, now look meaner and much more alien, Elites are less cartoony and make you feel like they can indeed rip your head off with ease and Master Chief looks better than ever.
The area where this improved graphical style comes through the most, and where the series new motion capture techniques really shine, is in Cortana. The smart AI and subject of the strange love story prevalent throughout the main series looks phenomenal, giving a much deeper and affecting edge to the sub plot of her slowly building rampancy and having Master Chief face the possibility of losing his closest friend forever.
Story has become a big focus for the Halo in the fourth installment, and that is both a good and a bad thing. The good is that this title probably has the best story of the series, setting up what should be a truly fantastic trilogy, and has some very poignant moments that show off the technical aspects 343 have added to the experience and really draws you in.
The bad is that some things are just not fully explained. There is a new central villain, known as the Didact, that appears and suddenly everyone knows who he is and how to fight him. The Covenant are suddenly on his side and his own forces start ordering them around. It is strange, and even though I have read all of the Halo books, including the Forerunner saga that sets up a fair amount of stuff for what is bound to show up in the games fiction going forward, I was still confused as to why Cortana and Master Chief know he is called the Didact and that he is going after humanity.
The fiction is there to find, but most people aren't going to be as into the universe as I am and will likely just be confused by some of the plot. The story is still fantastic and if you manage to find the well hidden terminals scattered through the game some of it is filled out better, but I managed to find just two in my time with the campaign, a lot of people will do worse.
The story does give you access to some new toys, as the new promethean enemies come with their own array of weapons and powers. Generally, these fit into standard types - Shotgun, assault rifle, sniper rifle - which is a bit of a shame, as they could have been used to really show off some cool new stuff, but there is also the added learning curve that goes along with that, and the breakneck pace of the campaign would probably be slowed quite a lot by this addition.
Promethean weapons do look very cool though. The first time you pick them up they seem to form together from all of the separate parts and it just looks awesome, and some of them, like the Binary Rifle, kill people like something out of Tron, which is no bad thing in my opinion. The new grenades take a while to get used to, as they explode, form a bubble of energy then have a secondary explosion. The timing is just weird.
So what about the multiplayer? again, its pretty awesome. I have discovered I am much, much better at Halo multiplayer than I ever am at Call of Duty, and while some of Halo has taken inspiration from that franchise, it freshens up and modernises rather than feels like a rip off.
These improvements include loadouts that can be customised as you gain levels and unlock new weapons, as well as armour and emblem unlocks to customize your Spartan IV, the new breed of super soldier at the heart of the multiplayer. There is a story conceit for the co-op and multiplayer this time around, and it makes sense, which is always nice.
The multiplayer is a more slower paced affair that most recent games, but that is no bad thing and, as it did me, could very well suit you better than the relentless kill fest of Call of Duty. There are some new modes, but most are what you would find in pretty much all online shooters. Matchmaking is pretty good, though it can take awhile to fully set up a game, despite plenty of players.
Horde mode has gone, replaced by Spartan-Ops, a story centric co-op campaign fed out each week with a new episode. There are cutscenes to go along with this, and they are pretty great to be fair, setting up the 'six months' later aspect of the game. The missions themselves do boil down to kill everything that moves until we say stop, but the core gameplay is so good you won't really mind. It is certainly a different take on co-op, though as with all co-op, it is best played with friends.
If you decide to go it alone in Spartan-Ops, things can get tough, and you might have to do this if you want to play it all and then move on to the current episode. I was unable to find a game for any of the first episode missions, all the active ones being for the second round of the campaign which I have yet to get to. This is disappointing, but also massively understandable, given how the co-op is set up.
In the end, you already know if you're going to play Halo 4. It is probably one of the best games in the franchise, and certainly the best looking. The updates to how the game looks and plays feel right, and 343 Industries have made a Halo game that just feels right on every level. The gaps in the story are a little disappointing, but if you care about that stuff it is easy enough to have your questions answered. The multiplayer is lag free and lots of fun, and co-op could morph into something truly game changing if done right for its entire run. Halo 4 is fantastic and fans should feel relieved that people like them, true fans, are now in charge of where the series goes. I, for one, cannot wait to see what happens next.