A flawed, short experience that could have been much better.
Probably the best part of the game is the story, the story is obviously the best in the Halo series. With a cast of sorrowful characters with their own story to tell, Bungie really out-did themselves with the great plot. But after that the game is lopsided. The campaign is great fun and stars you as a lost ODST troop in New Mombasa. The huge city has many dark secrets that you unravel as you walk the dark streets. As your discover these secrets, they start leading you to the whereabouts of your squad. After you complete the seven hour campaign, you will probably immediately dive into "Firefight", Bungie's game type for waves of enemies. We all have seen this before, so it's nothing new, the only reason I really played it was for achievements, and after that I was dead on bored with the game. The story is great to replay... only about three times, and the graphics aren't a big improvement from Halo 3. The multiplayer disk is probably the best feature.
Presentation: 7, no real big changes here, it mostly is trying to revert back to the feel of Halo: CE.
Graphics: 7, a few re-textures here and there, and a new lighting system. Those are typically the only changes in graphics.
Sound: 6, unlike Halo 3, this boasts very little memorable songs. The game's theme is my only real favorite track.
Gameplay: 7, I must admit, it still boasts good gameplay, but it is 2 years old and feels a bit recycled.
Lasting Appeal: 6, the beautiful campaign is great to play a few times, there's the epic multiplayer disk, and then there's Firefight, but overall this is no new game, it should have been an expansion.